Breaking Down the Walls
by Selwyn
Summary: Buffy's dead, Angel's just been told - what could happen in Season 6 BtVS, Season 3 AtS
1. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 1

'Let me say it, I want to say it'

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" - 1/12 - Rated PG - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's.But if they were mine I give them to Duck's for safekeeping   
PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen  
FEEDBACK: Definitely wanted, its my first attempt.  
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie and AlwaysLuv my two Beta readers and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.

Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines

"Let me say it, I want to say it!"

Sounds of laughter and chattering came across the lobby; shadows of a group of people appeared outside the doors, which were pushed open by big strong hands. Figures stepped into the lobby in front of her, she couldn't tell who they were, her eyes glazing with tears as she looked up.

"There's no place like…Willow."

The voice made her stand up, she could barely make out his face, but she knew he was the one she had come to tell.

"What's, what is…" Cordelia's voice broke through the silence.She couldn't complete the sentence.But Angel could, one look into the familiar redhead's tear streaked face and he knew.

"It's Buffy." he practically whispered it.Willow just looked at him, the pain in her eyes mirroring the pain that was crashing through his soul.

"Buffy?The Slayer?Does she need us?"Gunn asked in the background, trying to understand what was going on in all the silence.

"She's dead." Angel could barely get the words out, if he didn't say it it wouldn't be true, but life didn't work like that.It was written all over Willows face, pale and drawn in front of him.

Cordelia reached out to touch his arm as she began sobbing, to try and give him some comfort.

"Angel," Willow whispered, "she's gone."The small girl crumpled and broke down sobbing on the lobby floor.Wesley gently pulled Cordelia away from Angel's arm into his own, she sobbed quietly on his shoulder.

"We're so sorry." he whispered.He motioned for Gunn and Fred to follow him as he helped Cordelia upstairs, allowing the two friends to comfort one another in peace.

As Wesley pulled Cordelia away, Angel crossed the floor, and sat down next to where Willow lay weeping.He pulled her tiny frame into his arms and held her, her tears soaking the front of his clothes.She clung to him, crying, murmuring over and over again.

"Why did she have to die?Why does it have to hurt so much." And Angel sat there, holding her, staring into the distance, remembering the night of Joyce's funeral when he had sat in the graveyard in Sunnydale, with Buffy, holding her in exactly the same way while she grieved for her mother and cried all the tears that she couldn't let the others see.He gently sniffed Willow's hair and remembered the way Buffy's hair had smelled of vanilla, he remembered the way her body had felt curved into his.Not like this, not like Willow felt, she felt comfortable and made him think of the past.But Buffy, she made him feel like he was on fire, like he was going to lose his mind every time he looked into her eyes.Just the slightest touch from her skin could make him feel alive again, like he was a whole person and when they had kissed on that long night, it had brought everything flooding back to him, everything he had tried to repress while Darla had been around.The moment she had asked him to stay forever had almost made him cry, cry for the fact he had tried to lose himself with another woman, tried to end all the pain and the suffering, and cry because he had realised that he wanted to stay with her, more than ever.

Willow shifted slightly in his arms.He looked down at her tear streaked face, he couldn't cry, not yet.He had grieved for so many people in his life; his family, his victims, Jenny, his little sister, but this time it was different, he felt like his life had stopped the minute the words 'she's dead' had come out and now he was in limbo, couldn't cry, couldn't grieve.

He stood up and gently lifted Willow to her feet, he half carried and half walked her over to the lobby couch she had been sitting on when they came in.They sat on the seat and Angel slowly started piecing together everything that had happened.

Wesley came down the stairs into the reception area at 5 am, when he heard the front doors close.He saw Angel standing at the Hyperion's front entrance, helping Willow into a taxi.

"Angel?" 

"Its all right Wesley, I know, dawn is coming, I'm coming inside." He watched the man's face as he walked across to the stairs.He had thought of it, as he stood by the doors and saw Willow get into her taxi, just one step and he could be with Buffy, just one step and he could be complete again.But as that thought came into his head, Willow wound down the window.

"She used to talk about the work you were doing here all the time, she was so proud of what you had done, of what you had become, and she understood in the end, she did understand why you left…" her voice broke off, tears welling up once more.

Angel nodded at her and an unspoken understanding passed between them.They both had loved her, in their own ways.

Angel walked up to where Wesley stood on the stairs.

"How's Cordy?" he asked.

"She's sleeping, she managed to call Xander earlier and she spoke to him.Angel, do you want to…"

Angel cut him off before he could finish.

"I'll be in my rooms Wesley, if anything happens."

Wesley watched the vampire climb the stairs to his apartment, each footstep heavier than the last.His heart ached for his friend who had come so far in LA, who had made a family and a life, but whom he knew had never forgotten his mate.Wesley walked across to the reception desk and began to do some filing, it was menial and senseless but it helped.

Angel pushed the door to his apartment open and walked inside.The heavy curtains were still pulled across the windows, so an eerie gloom fell across the room in the dawn light.He could hear sounds of the city waking up outside, cars moving about, people beginning to fill the streets.He shut all the sounds out as he sat on the bed.He reached into the bedside cabinet and pulled out a picture that was buried in the drawer.It was a pretty silver antique frame and inside was a picture of Buffy, laughing in the sunlight.Xander had taken it one day and she had had it framed and given it to him, so he could always see her in the sunlight.He touched her face, lovingly, on the photograph.

"I love you so much, Buffy.You are my saviour.I've always known that.I don't know what I'm going to do without you.Even when I left, I knew you were always there, always around.And after the funeral, after everything with Darla, the first thoughts I had were of you and what you had given me.I was going to come back to you. I was going to come back and tell you how much I loved you, how you filled my thoughts, how we had lived without one another for long enough, but then we got called away and I never got a chance to tell you."Angel took a deep breath and looked deep into the smiling eyes of his beloved.He reached down within himself and did the one thing he had dreaded since the words had left Willow's lips.He reached down and found that small place within himself that could sense her, that place that tingled whenever she was anywhere near.He had pushed it away when he had come to LA, only satisfying his need to feel her every now and again when he was alone, but he found it now, and reached across space to feel his love.His entire being called out to her…and as the harsh hollow of nothing came back, his non-existent heart shattered into a million pieces and his soul cried out a heart-wrenching cry for its mate that reverberated around the hotel.His eyes closed on the photograph, trying to block her image out, but it was embedded on the darkness inside his eyes, where he saw it every night, and finally Angel wept for the love he had lost.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy opened her eyes and looked around her.The place she was in seemed indescribable.Like a huge white room that seemed to go on forever, there were no doors or windows, nothing but white space.She tried to remember what had happened.Had she been taken by Glory?By someone else?She closed her eyes and tried to think.Images came rushing into her mind, the top of the tower, Dawn bleeding and the void opening up beneath her, Dawn crying and begging her, and then 'Summers' blood'.That phrase echoed into her head as she relived the dive from the tower.She remembered falling through the sky like she was flying, closer and closer to the shimmering void.She remembered thinking of Dawn, and her mother, of Giles, Willow, Xander and the other Scoobies, of Riley, far away in the jungle. And at the last moment, before she hit the gate opening, she reached down into the place inside her where she had buried her feelings for Angel, that tiny place that tingled whenever he was near.She opened herself up across the link and searched for him, and she remembered, as she hit the gate and a blinding flash of light hit her, that she had felt nothing.

As she opened her eyes, she saw a figure in the far distance of the room.As it walked closer she knew exactly where she was.She jumped up and rushed towards it.

"Mommy."She whispered.

"Buffy, darling."Joyce replied, and wrapped her arms around her daughter.Buffy sank into her mother's embrace, tears of joy running down both their faces.

"Mom, I can't believe I'm seeing you again." she whispered into Joyce's hair.

"I can't even begin to understand what you did." Joyce said, holding her daughter's head in her hands so she could look into her eyes."You gave up everything to save Dawn.Do you have any idea of how proud I am of you."

"A little?" Buffy quipped back, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

"So this is it then, this is heaven, kinda quiet.Thought there'd be more clouds and angels with harps really."

"It's their day off, we had a big session here last night, the angels were rocking away with some of the others, and they opened up the chocolate river." Joyce replied.

"A Chocolate river?"Buffy asked, eyes wide at the thought.

"I'm kidding darling, this is the end, peace and serenity.What everyone should be allowed at the end of their lives."

"So where is everyone else then?" Buffy asked, looking around the white space.

"Well, this is kind of hard to explain." Joyce said, as she sat down on the ground with her daughter."This is a kind of meet and greet room, where you come when it first happens, to acclimate yourself to things.People who you know and recognise who have – passed over – come and meet you to prepare you to move on."

"So what's past this room?" Buffy asked.

"Well, that's a little harder to explain.It's kind of like you are there, but you're not.Oh, don't look scared, it's not scary.Time just moves differently.When you are needed and wanted by the people left behind, you will just 'be'."

Buffy looked a little confused.

"Let me explain this better and then I might be able to show you.Something happened on the night of my funeral that no one knows about, didn't it?"

Buffy's eyes turned up to look at her mother.

"You sat at my graveside, and you cried so hard.I wanted to reach out and touch you, but I could only watch.Everyone else had left the graveyard and you were alone, but not for long.I saw Angel walk up to you and take you in his arms and hold you close to him. I saw you relax into him, and let everything go, all that responsibility and pressure you had kept held up inside of you since the night I left.I saw you turn from the adult mature Buffy who could cope with anything, into my little girl once more.And Buffy, I was glad he came, I was glad he was there for you."

"So you see, when people think of us, or need us, we are there, we can watch over them and we can see them heal and we can watch their lives continue."

"But we can't talk to them, or hold them?"Buffy whispered.

"No, sweetheart, we can't.People would never move on with their lives if we could and we have to let that happen."

Joyce's face suddenly spread into a smile and her eyes misted over.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"Here, I can show you what I mean."

Buffy looked at her, confusion in her eyes.

"Its Dawn, she's thinking about us."

Joyce took hold of Buffy's hand, and suddenly they were in Giles' condo, but in a room that Buffy hadn't seen before.But then she remembered, she had seen it, it was Giles's spare room, that he once had filled with boxes and junk, but now it was a bedroom, with a beautiful ironwork bed that she recognised as her's from the house on Ravello Drive. In the bed there was a form under the covers, shaking a little with sobs escaping every now and again.

"Dawn."Buffy whispered, as she could see her sister's face come out from under the covers.

"Mom, can't we do something?She's crying…"

"Just wait, I know it's hard, but you'll see."

Buffy stood there and tried not to run to her sister and throw her arms round her.Her resolve had almost weakened when a soft knock came at the door.

"Dawn, may I come in?" a refined voice said.

Dawn shifted a little and sniffed and then sat up in her bed.

"OK."

The door opened and Buffy saw her Watcher walk into the room.

"Giles took Dawn in after everything happened.He has legal guardianship of her now."

Buffy looked in amazement as Giles came across the room and sat on Dawn's bed.Dawn sat under her covers sniffing.

"Was it another nightmare?" he asked.

"I just miss them so much."Dawn sobbed and threw herself into the Englishman's arms.Giles looked stunned for a second and then wrapped his arms around the young girl and let her cry it all out.

"They're good for one another." Joyce whispered.

"Giles can give her the love and understanding of a parent, and she fills the hole that you left in his life.They are carrying on, using each other to lean on."

"Doesn't it make you sad?"Buffy said through the tears.

"It did at first," Joyce said,"but nothing can be done, and I am glad that they can take care of one another.It does get easier."

Buffy felt a shudder go through her and she appeared back in the room again.

"You can't see everything."Joyce explained, "Just enough so that you know that things will be ok."

Joyce took Buffy into her arms and held her close.

"I have to go now, for a little while."

Buffy held her tight, "Will I see you again?"

"Of course," Joyce replied, "I'm always here if you need me."

Joyce walked off across the room, Buffy watched her until she was the tiniest dot, and then she disappeared.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Giles could hear the shrieks of laughter at the bottom of the stairs as he started up to the first floor of his condo.He followed the noise down the corridor and carefully balanced the tray of tea and orange as he opened the door where all the racket was coming from.The scene that lay before him brought a brief smile to his tired face.

Dawn stood on top of a rickety stepladder attempting to paint the ceiling with Spike holding onto her legs, so she couldn't fall.Tara sat on the floor, cutting tiny silver stars out of tin foil, and then handing them up to where Willow stood, carefully sticking them onto the navy blue walls.Xander and Anya were on the other side of the room, applying the last coat of the paint to the walls, mostly applying it to one another.Giles put the tray down and watched the group interact with one another, comments and quips flying from side to side, laughter and giggles ringing out every now and again, along with screams when paint hit places it shouldn't.He leaned into the wall and smiled to himself, who would have thought that this would have happened.He never intended to have children, to attend parents' evening and help with homework, and this had never been planned.Dawn and Buffy had turned to him after Joyce's death and he had accepted them with open arms.After Buffy had gone, Dawn had moved in with him, and he had become her legal guardian and if he was honest, he was enjoying the company and the liveliness of having a young teenager in the house.

Xander looked up and saw Giles standing in the doorway watching them all.

"Hey Giles, what do you think of Dawnie's new wicca room?"

Giles surveyed the area and put on his best 'parent' voice.

"Well, I think it's very…interesting."

"Awwww, poor Giles, he wanted it all beige and booky."Willow called out in a baby voice.

Giles shot a look across the room and Willow giggled.

"Tea everyone, and then let's go over last night's patrol."Giles changed the subject quickly, before they asked him to comment any more on the dramatic makeover of his previously proposed study.

"Well, Xander and I were attacked by two vampires while we were in the graveyard having sex."

"Anya, what have we said about sharing in front of people, especially Dawnie!"Xander looked over to where Dawn now sat on the floor next to Spike; she was beaming straight back at him, which made him flush red.

"We were attacked when we were looking for clues on the ground, Anya." he corrected.

"OK, but I don't think you found many clues inside my dress." the ex-demon sulked.

"Quite, and how about you two?" Giles turned to Willow and Tara.

"A few demons, and a vampire or two.Kinda quiet on the big bad scary monsters stuff."Willow replied.

"Willow made up a new spell that can freeze bodies for a few seconds which has really helped."Tara looked over, proudly, at her girlfriend.

"And Spike?" Giles asked.

"Coupl'a vampires, hit on a few big demons, checked out Willie's bar for a while."Spike noticed the look on Giles's face, which was the disapproving 'that's an excuse to get roaring drunk look' and saw Dawn's innocent expression.

"Err, yeah, getting information on what's happening underground at the moment."

"Yes, thank you, Spike." Giles ended the vampire's explanations before things could get any worse.

"Oh, I did hear something though.Something about a trio of magic guys, messin' around with some spell or something, down at the site, you know, down at the tower where the Glory stuff all happened."

The room went quiet at this sudden harsh reminder of what had happened those weeks ago.Dawn's voice broke the silence.

"Why, why would anyone want to do anything there?"

Spike immediately turned to the young girl.

"Don't worry, L'il Bit, ain't nothing going to happen to you with everyone here.They'd just be a bunch of drunkards who heard some funny stories."

"But what if they bring Glory back?" the little voice asked.

"Dawn, Glory is gone, no-one can bring her back, I promise that." Giles said, reassuringly. 

"I wish Buffy was here." she whispered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy sat back in her white room and tears welled in her eyes at the scene that had just unfolded with her friends.It was so hard seeing them again, and seeing Dawn looking so sad.The only relief had come from knowing that her extended family had adopted Dawn into it so overwhelmingly.

"How long have I been dead?" she sobbed into the white silence.

"I'd say about four weeks, give or take a little."

Buffy looked up at the newcomer.She recognised the face, but couldn't quite place it.

"Ah, what's a pretty girl like you messin' up her face for with all those tears?" he said, in a lilting Irish Brogue and sat down next to her.

"Doyle." she said.

"Aye, that's me.Ex-assistant of Angel, holder of the painful visions and the will of The Powers That Be."

"So you died too."

"It would appear so.I like to think of myself as between jobs."

"I don't understand it here."Buffy whispered, "This is supposed to be it, heaven, the end, total happiness, but I don't feel it."

"It's only the beginning here, your feelings will change."Doyle replied.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything for a pretty girl."

"Is…is Angel here?"

"Now why would you be asking me that?"

"Because, when I fell, from the tower, I tried to reach out to him, into the place where I could normally feel him and I couldn't.So I guess he's either dead or he's…"

"Moved on?" Doyle finished her sentence for her."Buffy there are many things in this world that will never happen, for myself, giving up the drink, and for Angel, truly giving up his on true love."

"So why couldn't I sense him?"

"Well, now you see, that would be a more complicated answer.Before you, well, left, our Angel went into another dimension, on a bit of a jaunt to help some people win their own kind of war.I guess, that this link of yours might not have stretched quite that far."

"But he is alright?"

"In a way, yes, he's still down there."

"Could I see him?"Buffy asked.

"Are you sure you want to?"Doyle questioned.

"Yes."

Then Doyle whispered the three magic words, "Close your eyes."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Cordelia and Wesley gently pushed open the door to their friend's apartment.Darkness met them, the curtains were drawn against the windows, the floor was littered with half empty blood bags that they had been leaving outside his door for the past few weeks, music was playing quietly from the sound system.The smell of unwashed sheets permeated the air, along with a sweeter, sicklier smell.

"Whiskey." Wesley whispered, as he moved over to the bed where an unidentifiable mound lay.

Cordelia moved closer to him and gently shook the blankets.

"Leave me alone." the slurred phrase made the two jump back a little; it had come from an armchair in the corner of the room.

"Angel, we just want to help."

"Then get me more whiskey and leave me alone."

"Angel please," Cordy begged,"it's been four weeks and you haven't left this room.We're worried about you, we were all just beginning to work together again, please don't let it all go again."

"We're a family." Wesley added, "We can deal with this together, help you, we all thought highly of Buffy, we can help each other."

"I love her!" he snarled back at them.

"We know you do Angel.Please let us help you get through this.Sitting in your rooms, isolated from everyone, drinking and listening to, God what is that, Celine Dion?"Cordy exclaimed.

"Listen."Angel responded.

Cordelia and Wesley strained to hear the words reverberating around the apartment.

_ _

I figured it out   
I was high and low and everything in between   
I was wicked and wild, baby, you know what I mean   
Till there was you, yeah, you   
  
Something went wrong   
I made a deal with the devil for an empty I.O.U.   
Been to hell and back, but an angel was   
looking through   
It was you, yeah, you   
It's all because of you   
  
You are the reason   
You are the reason I wake up every day   
And sleep through the night   
You are the reason, the reason   
  
In the middle of the night   
I'm going down 'cause I adore you   
I want to floor you   
  
I'm giving it up   
No more running around spinning my wheel   
You came out of my dream and made it real   
I know what I feel   
It's you It's all because of you   
  
You are the reason   
You are the reason I wake up every day   
And sleep through the night   
You are the reason, the reason

"Don't you get it?" he asked. "She was my reason, she was my reason for being, for not walking into the sunlight every dawn, for getting up each and every night and patrolling.She was the reason I came here, the reason I set all of this up.And each and every day I have worked here she has been the reason I have tried so damn hard.She may have done what I asked, moved on, found a normal life, but I never stopped loving her, not for a second.And I let her die.I wasn't there, after all the times she has saved me, I wasn't there.Nothing is worth it anymore.Not redemption, not shanshu, none of it is worth it without her.So leave me the hell alone."

"No!"Cordelia yelled into the darkness.

"Do you think you are the only person in this world who has lost the person that they love?Angel, have you really forgotten Doyle, and what happened such a short while ago?I loved him, I didn't have long with him, but I loved him and he left and all I had to remember him by was one kiss and these mind-crushing visions.I wanted to curl up and die too that night, and for days afterwards, but you wouldn't let me.You made sure I got up every morning and that I came into work and carried on the things that he had sacrificed himself for.You were by my side and helped me through all of that and I'll be damned if I'm going to sit back and let you crumble."

She stormed over to the window and tore back the curtains.Angel flinched visibly and then relaxed at the sight of the moonlight streaming in.

"Look at you, you don't even know what time of day it is!"Cordy looked over at him and saw the hollow face, the thin body, dressed in black pants and nothing else.

"I know you loved her, God, I went through three years of the greatest tragedy on earth back in Sunnydale with the pair of you.But do you think she would have wanted it all to end like this?Don't you think she would have wanted you to carry on?Willow was right, maybe not in lifestyle choices, but with what she said.Buffy was proud of you and of what you had achieved here.Don't you think you owe it to her memory to carry it on?"

Silence fell across the room once more.And then a broken voice came through the darkness.

"I just love her so much."

Cordelia walked over and sat on the arm of Angel's chair, hand resting on his arm.

"I know you did."

Wesley sat down on the edge of the bed.

"We're all here, Angel, you can get through this." he reiterated.

"Why do these things have to happen?Why take her now, when I wasn't there.I went to see her, a few weeks back, on the night of her mother's funeral, and we sat in the graveyard all night, just talking about Joyce and our lives.She told me about Glory and about the plans to open the gates into hell, and she told me about Dawn and about Riley leaving.I decided that night, when she asked me to stay for forever with her, that I wanted to, that we had spent too much time apart.I was going to try and work something out.But then, we were sent to Pylea, and she faced Glory alone, and now she's gone.I miss her so much."

Cordelia rested her head against his.

"I know you do, but let us help, it does get easier.I still miss Doyle but it does get easier."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy looked up at Doyle again.

"He loved me, he was coming back."

"He did."

"How can you stand it, just watching all the time.How can you bear not being able to reach out and touch them, comfort them?"

"It's hard, it definitely is.Especially in the first few weeks, God, when I watched Cordy crying herself to sleep, night after night, I just wanted to hold her in my arms and make everything all right again."

"So how did you cope?"

"Well, I have to let you in on a bit of a secret.I have managed to find a little bit of a loophole with the entire 'stand back and don't meddle' scenario.You see, Cordy has a bit of a strange apartment, that's a little bit haunted by a bloke called Dennis.And you see, having a lost spirit down there is a handy thing to have.Every now and again, I kind of take over his patch.Just borrow his essence on earth a little.I get to spend a night, watching her sleep, and maybe touching her hair, or her beautiful face, just gently, not enough so she wakes up, just enough so that she thinks she is dreaming of me, and it gives us both a little peace."

"How can I do something like that?How can I get close to Angel and Dawn again, and help them?"Buffy asked desperately.

"Its not so simple, young Buffy.You see, this chance I have is a gift, from The Powers That Be for the work I did for them during the latter part of my life and for the sacrifice I made, so that their warrior could continue their work.Now, to be honest, I would have made the sacrifice no matter what, but the reward is good.But not everyone gets rewarded."

"Shouldn't I be able to do something?Let me go and see them!I lost my teenage years to their will and their whims.I was their Slayer!They owe me something!"

'Now then, that's where I should have started on this conversation.You see, the reason you're in this room and not moved on yet, now, four weeks after the 'event' and the reason that I am, in fact, here with you at all, when you didn't really know me from Adam, is that I'm here to bring you before them."

"The Powers That Be?"

"Yep, the one and onlys, they want to see you."

[Feedback please][1]

[Chapter 2][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: breakingwalls2.htm



	2. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 2

A bright flash blinded Buffy and Doyle and they found themselves confronted by two beautiful Grecian style people

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 2 - 2/12 - Rated PG - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's.But if they were mine I give them to Duck's for safekeeping J  
PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Definitely wanted, its my first attempt.  
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie, AlwaysLuv and Mark my Beta readers and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines

Now on with the storytelling………..

A bright flash blinded Buffy and Doyle and they found themselves confronted by two beautiful Grecian style people.The woman spoke first.

"Slayer, you have been brought before us."

Doyle whispered into Buffy's ear, "Wow, no waiting, no gifts, they must really want to see you."

The man flicked his hand and Doyle vanished from the room.

"Hey, we were talking."Buffy snapped.

"The Powers That Be demand your full attention."They said in unison.

"Well, can you kinda get on with it, cause you know, heaven, redemption, got a lot of partying to do."

The woman looked surprised for a moment.

"But you are not in this heaven you speak of, you are in the limbo world. You chose to come here before your time, you should not have come."

"Can we have a bit less of the cryptic and a bit more of an explanation?You brought me before you, I assume you have a reason."

"You are needed, Slayer.There is no more of your line," the man said simply.

"Oh come on, even I know the drill by heart, a slayer dies, another is called in her place, it's an eternal thing, yadda, yadda yadda, surely you know this by now.I died, some other poor girl has been called in my place…life goes on."

"But your replacement was already called, the slayer line passed on.She is no warrior for the Powers."

"Faith." Buffy whispered.

"She will not fight for our cause, there is no slayer."

"Hey, would love to help, but what do you know, I'm dead."

"It was not your time, you should not have come here."

"But I did, I saved the world, I defeated Glory."

"But others are rising.The world is left unprotected."

"So what are you proposing…?" Buffy asked.

"Slayer, you must return to your world and fight in your role as it was destined to be."

Buffy looked at them for a moment, staring at their passive faces, their voices and emotions giving nothing away.

"I have given up 5 years of my life for your cause, I have fought demon after demon, year after year, I have averted the end of the world on numerous occasions.I lost a normal life because of you and your role for me.I put my family in danger many times and now finally when I have found some peace in this world, when I have discovered an end to it all, you want me to go back and fight again?How would that even be possible?Dawn tried to resurrect my mom and that didn't work, how will you send me back?"

"The witch has been working on the resurrection spell, help will be given." the woman answered.

"And what if I don't want to return?"Buffy asked defiantly.

"It cannot work against your will, but you are needed, Slayer, you are being given a chance most people can only dream of.We must have an answer."

Buffy found herself once more in the white room where she had started.She sat back down on the floor, somewhat stunned by the entire thing.

"How am I supposed to decide?" she whispered into the brightness.

"I would have thought that was an easy choice to make."Joyce's voice carried across the vast room, as she walked over to join her daughter.

"Do you not want to go back?"Joyce asked her.

"A lot of me wants to."Buffy said quietly. 

"And the other bits?"

"Want nothing more than to stay here with you."Buffy looked at her mother with tears in her eyes.

"Why does everything have to be such a choice?" she asked her.

"Because that's the way life is.It makes you appreciate the choice you have made for yourself because you have given up so much to make it."

"I've spent so much of my life being the Slayer, being the one responsible for saving the world over and over again.I spent most nights in the graveyards and the crypts, instead of at the mall or at the clubs, talking to vampires and demons, instead of boys, wondering each day if that would be the day I died."

"And you did die.And now you have a chance to go back."

"But to die then was my choice, it was one of the few independent things I did as a slayer.Usually it was prophesised, or written somewhere what would happen, but this time, I took them all by surprise.I took my destiny into my own hands and I chose to give up my life at that point, and not wait for it to be taken from me.This is my redemption, my peace, at last.No more wondering if I'm going to make it home tonight or if I'll return and find all my friends in little pieces at the whim of some maniac. I have peace now, and I have you again, I don't want to let that go."

"I know you don't, darling, but you have to look at the other side.There is no one to take your place, no one to help down there.No one to stop the world becoming over-run by demons.You don't belong here with me, you belong down there, protecting Dawn and the rest.Take the chance now, while it's given to you."

"It's so hard though, I just want to be happy and this is my chance here and now, not to have to think anymore about what I have lost, about what was taken from me.I lost Angel, then Riley, and then you.I don't want to go through any of that again."

"It's a second chance, Buffy, a chance to make things the way you want them to be.You're stronger now, and you know I'll always be watching over you.Please think about it, you belong back there with Dawn.She needs you.Not everyone is lucky enough to be given a second chance."

Buffy looked away for a second and then back into her mother's eyes.   
"Then, if I do go back, there's something I need to tell you, something I need to take a second chance on, one the most important reasons for me to go back, and I want you to understand."   
"Angel." Her mother said, "You're going to go back to Angel."   
"You know me so well, " Buffy said smiling at her mother. "Give him a chance, please; he's part of me, my soulmate. I tried to have the average boy next door as a boyfriend and it didn't work, I just ended up hurting him, and myself."   
"I just wanted you to have a normal life, he wanted you to have that too."   
"I'm never going to be a normal girl, especially not now, being resurrected and all. 

But normal to me is Angel; without him, it's like going through life with a huge part of me missing. 

I love him Mom, I've loved him since the first second I looked into his eyes and saw his soul and I'll love him forevermore."   
"But Angel can't give you everything you want." Joyce replied.   
"Angel is everything I want, and more. As long as we are together, I don't care about the rest; just being close to him is enough, knowing he's there. I need him; the past 2 years have been like living a shadow of a life, watching the world go by, not really taking part. Every night when I came home from Patrol I wanted to pick up the phone and call him, talk to him about my day and about his. I can't even count the amount of times I've called his number and hung up. He makes me believe in who I am and what I am destined to do. He makes the curse of being a Slayer somehow bearable. He understands me, more than anyone else in the world."   
"All I want is for you to be happy and I guess if you think that you can find that with Angel then you have my blessing. But please be careful."   
Buffy stood up and looked at her mother and wrapped her arms around her. Joyce completed the embrace and held her elder daughter close to her.   
"I love you, so much Buffy."   
"I love you too, Mom" 

A blinding flash brought Buffy before the Oracles again.

"So slayer, have you made your choice?" the man asked.

"I want to know what this entails first.What happens when I get down there?I'm dead, how you gonna fix that one?"

"Things will fall into place, together you are strong."

"Make your choice, Slayer."

Buffy closed her eyes.Her mother's voice echoed in her head, "Please, Buffy, for Dawn."Buffy knew what her decision was; she could never leave Dawn.

"I'll go back."

"You have made the right choice." the woman said, graciously.

"But just so you know, you owe me big time for this one."

The Oracles looked stunned for a moment but recovered quickly.

"The rewards will come to the worthy in the end."And with that last comment they vanished.

Buffy found herself in the room again.

"So what now, I just sit and wait?" she asked the room.

"They have given you me for company, you lucky girl" the voice came from behind her ear.

"Doyle!Did Angel teach you his lurking trick?!"

"I like to think of it more as stealthiness, meself.So you up for a game of scissors, paper, stone?"

"How about you tell me everything about your time in LA, and especially the bits about Cordelia."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow looked across the bed at where the sleeping figure of Tara lay.She gently pulled her arm out from underneath the blonde girl's head and got herself up into a sitting position. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she pulled a pair of pants and a sweater on, grabbed a pair of trainers, and stole across the room.Sneaking one last look at Tara, she opened the door, grabbed her jacket and crept out into the hall.

Willow ran across the campus and started on the familiar route into town, past the empty coffee houses, the shops and the mall, she slowed a little as she passed the ruins of the old high school, so many memories there, so much Buffy.She shook her head to clear her thoughts and ploughed on.Soon she was at the door where she wanted to be.She concentrated her mind on the space in front of her and whispered the words, _"Sono il creatore mi concedo l' entrata." [[1]][2]__ A tiny shimmer appeared in the doorway, she walked through the guarding spell and opened the door with the key she pulled out of her pocket._

She walked carefully across the floor of the Magic Shop, trying not to dislodge anything on her way to the ladder.She climbed the ladder in the moonlight, until she got to the top and knelt on the floor next to the bookshelves.Working quickly, her heart pounding in her chest, she got a flashlight out of her pocket and scanned it across the shelves.There, hidden within a pile of dusty books on ancient Norse mythology, was the book she was looking for.She reached over and pulled it out of its space.Holding it carefully in one hand she climbed down the ladder and went over to the desk, near the back, where Giles had had a computer installed for 'research purposes'.She switched the machine on and its screen blinked into welcome life.

As she was waiting for the computer to start up she turned to the book in her hands.She had been hoping that Giles hadn't destroyed it since the night that Dawn had stolen it for her own uses, and fortunately, he hadn't.By the light of the computer screen, the witch scanned the first page of the book, headed resurrection spells.

Willow looked up at the screen and clicked on her e-mail program.She had new mail:

To:Technopagan

_From:Merlin_

_ _

_Had a look at that resurrection spell you sent and I found this small section variation of it from a book I managed to trace.I think it will work better than the last time it was tried.Just make sure to follow the instructions exactly and get a group together who can help create a more powerful magic field._

_ _

_Happy casting_

_Merlin_

_ _

To:Technopagan

_From:Phoenixes_

_Are we still prepared to do this?I think we need to get ready, it's getting close to the time._

_ _

Willow made a little sigh and turned back to her book again, she read over the words again, pretending that they weren't already drilled into her mind.She slowly looked up again and read the attachment from Merlin, which was now displayed on the bright screen.

"An orb of Thesulah, now why does that not give me a good feeling?"She whispered to herself.

She crept across the floor of the magic shop and looked along the shelves behind the till where Giles put all the 'trade' goodies.She reached up on to one of the top shelves and picked up the glass ball.She left a $50 dollar bill in the space.

"Here's to bringing you back, Buffy, let's hope you can afford some food for us both."

She quickly printed the page off the computer and scribbled down the instructions from Giles' book.She ran up the ladder and set the book back where it had been, switched the computer off and headed back to the door.As she closed and locked the door softly behind her, she whispered the spell again and the magic field reappeared, shimmering slightly in the moonlight.She briefly looked up at the sky; the moon was almost full.

"Three weeks," she whispered to herself and ran off into the darkness.

Inside the shop, darkness encased everything once more, but then, out of the shadows, a pale face appeared.

"Well, well, well, looks like Red's gotta plan."Spike chuckled to himself.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"How long now?"Buffy asked Doyle, for the three millionth time.

"You know, if I'd wanted to spend my life, sorry, death, answering that question I would have had some kiddies."

"I'm just not the patient type."

"You're telling me.It's been about three months down there."

"Three months?It feels like about a day up here.If Willow doesn't get on with it soon I'll be resurrected and die again from old age."

"There'll be no chances of that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"Buffy asked.

"Well, you know, resurrection, voodoo, zombies, you might be all singing and all dancing, but you won't exactly be living."

"I'll be immortal?"

"Eternal is a better word, that is, unless something nasty and unforeseen happens."

"And like there's no chance of that, me being the Slayer and all."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"No time for thinking now, Buff, it's showtime."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Willow looked anxiously around the room, it was Saturday night and everyone was over at Xander's.Xander and Anya were sat watching QVC on the sofa, every now and again Willow could hear her voice carrying over.

"Xander, buy me that."

"Anya, it costs money, and it's not worth it, really it isn't."

"But that lady says that everyone should have one, and if she can have one, why can't I.?"

"I thought you liked our money, liked us keeping it."

"I do like our money, but I think I would like that bracelet, I can put it with my money."

Tara and Dawn sat at the kitchen table.Dawn was trying to move the salt and pepper shakers with her mind.Tara was trying to give her helpful hints, without being too helpful or involving actual witchcraft.They had made the decision, that if Dawn really wanted to learn witchcraft, she must develop naturally, rather than be tutored.

Spike sat on the kitchen cabinets, a can of beer clenched in his mouth.Xander yelled over to him.

"Spike, really, do you have to kill the can, I think it might be dead already."

Dawn was giggling at the vampire.

"Oh, I have to have some use for these teeth you know.Actually someone find me some aspirin, I'll try biting Xander."

"Very funny."Xander said, and sunk back onto the couch, as Spike growled at him.

"Willow are you alright?"Tara asked.

"Yeah, just a bit of itchy, witchy feet tonight, I think I might go and have a bit of a patrol."

"On your own?I'll come with you."Tara said, concerned.

"I'll be OK, got those new spells in my head, might try a few out."Willow tried to laugh it off."Anyway, you stay with Dawnie.I need to be alone for a while."

"Alone, but not dead.I'm coming with."Spike said, jumping off the kitchen counter.

"I'll be OK," Willow started to protest, heading to the door, but Spike was there just as quick.

"Nah, those vamps and demons are starting to gang up, you never know what could be out there.I fancy a bit of fightin' to get rid of all this frustration."

Willow just nodded in resignation and picked up her backpack.

"Be careful."Tara said just before she left.

"I will." Willow answered.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Golly, a backpack, what's in that?"Spike kidded Willow.

"Just some…things to help us patrol tonight."

"What, you hoping to put it over a vamp's head and he'll fall onto a stake?"

"No, it's just some provisions, for a spell."

"It wouldn't happen to be a special kind of spell, that needs a special kind of night, and, maybe, a special type of orb?"

"I don't know what you mean."Willow started, her voice trembling a little.

"Come on, Red, I watched you in the Magic Shop, you're gonna conjure up Buffy aren't you?"

"You shouldn't be spying on people, you know that, don't you?"

"Hey, shoot me."Spike retorted.

They were walking along the road, heading to the tower where the final fight had taken place with Glory.

"Ah, good place to pick, full of all those vibes and stuff."Spike whispered in Willow's ear.

Willow just hurried on ahead.

A young man met her at the gates to the tower.

"Hurry up, time is passing by."

"Oh, he's good." Spike muttered behind her.

Willow walked through the gates and into the yard under the tower.She allowed her eyes to look briefly across at the spot where Buffy's broken body had fallen.Everything came rushing back through her head, everyone gathering around her, praying for signs of life, Dawn's inhumane screeching in the background.Willow shook her head, she couldn't think of that now, she had to concentrate, everything was going to be all right, it just had to be.

She walked across the construction site to where there was a crude pentagram drawn on the floor.A voice called across the yard.

"Willow, finally, can we get started?Oh good, you brought another caster, it'll make the spell more powerful."

"I didn't bring…" Willow started, but Spike jumped past her and sat cross-legged at one of the points of the pentagram.

She sighed and sat down next to Spike.

He leaned over to her.

"Jonathan?You chose Jonathan to help you cast an all powerful resurrection spell?"

"He's a part of some sorcery group, they have quite a lot of power, and they were the only ones willing to help with very little detail."

"But didn't even Xander pick on Jonathan at school?"

Willow looked across to where Jonathan sat, fiddling nervously with the ground, he sighed quietly, then reached into his pocket and put an inhaler to his mouth.Willow kicked Spike to stop him laughing.

Willow's attention turned to the older boy of the group, who called himself Raven.She didn't quite know whether to trust him or not, he seemed very intent on the black arts and it had been he who had put her in touch with Merlin for the rest of the spell.At the final pinnacle of the star sat a young girl who obviously doted on the aforementioned Raven, however, Willow could sense a strong power coming from her.She seemed to have some Romany roots, her big dark eyes, matched with dark hair and slightly tinged skin gave that away.

Willow slowly unpacked her bag and laid her goods into the centre of the circle.As she put each one down she explained its significance.

"That's a lock of hair, from…the person, to signify the body."She said quietly.

Spike's eyes were drawn to the blonde lock pointing towards him.

She laid a silver piece of jewellery next to the hair.

"This is a present from someone, that signifies the soul."

Spike's eyes flickered across the silver cross; the significance of it, being the first present his poofter of a sire had ever given to Buffy, wasn't lost on him.

"This is a vial of blood from the egg of a Mohra demon, to give life."

Then she laid the orb down on the ground.

"And this is an orb of Thesulah, to keep the soul safe until it can pass into the body."

"Are we ready then?"Raven asked the circle.

Willow quickly passed a piece of paper to Spike with the spell written on it.

The group reached out their hands and touched one another, completing the circle.Spike balked a little when Jonathan reached out and touched his hand, but one look from Willow and a look into the centre where all her things lay and he reached out his hand too.

The group closed their eyes and concentrated and slowly began to chant.

"Osiris, giver of darkness, taker of   
life, God of Gods - accept my   
offering… Bone, flesh, breath -   
yours, eternally.

Bone, flesh, breath…

I beg of you - return to me.

Bone, flesh, breath - yours,   
eternally. Bone, flesh, breath -   
I beg of you - return to me."

Over the quiet chanting, Willow began casting additional spells, first, one to capture Buffy's soul.

"Soulcatcher return to us what is hers,

Give us this essence that completes her."

She slowly chanted this mantra, all the time watching the orb sitting on the ground.Slowly it began to glow, getting brighter and brighter each second.Willow was transfixed on the glowing ball; the wind began to whip up around the yard, blowing soil around.

"Finish the spell!"Raven shouted.

Willow looked across at them, all eyes closed, concentrating.She felt a powerful surge come through the hand of the young girl sitting next to her.She looked at the girl, shocked for a second, then Spike's voice called out.

"Come on Red, finish it, what's next?"

"Her age, I have to count out her age.Up to twenty…"

Willow started counting in the wind, shouting into the dark sky.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5…"

As she was counting, the wind got stronger and the power coming from the young girl was agonisingly painful, but Willow dared not let go of her hand.

"6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13…"

The wind was beginning to drown out the sound of her voice.The objects inside the pentagram began to move about on the ground.

"14, 15, 16, 17, 18………"

At that point a mass of darkness shot up through the pentagram, scattering the objects.Spike broke the circle first, grabbing the silver cross as it whipped past his head.Willow could only watch as the orb was taken up in the air across the yard.The other three spell casters stood up and began to run across the yard.Willow concentrated her whole being and shouted up into the heavens.

"I beg of you – Osiris – return to me!"

Spike grabbed hold of her hand and dragged her out of the yard, Willow looked back from the gates and saw a black mist forming in the centre.

"It's not her, Red, give it up."Spike shouted against the chaos.

Willow took one last look at the yard, tears beginning to blind her sight.She whispered an incantation under her breath.Spike watched, in awe of the young witch, as the site went calm.

"Bloody hell!What did you do?"

"Protection spell, whatever that was, it should be bound here now."

"It's not Buffy, Red, whatever it is."

Willow looked up at him, tears in her eyes."I know." She whispered.

The two of them had one more quick look around the yard, turned, and walked away.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cordelia sat at her desk in the office tapping a pencil against the pile of invoices she had been printing.

"Waste of paper," she muttered to herself,"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless and the penniless."

She looked across the office at the other workers.Gunn was out on a patrol in his neighbourhood.Wesley was talking quietly to Fred over near the books.Fred was turning out to be quite a valuable member of the team; her librarian skills were helping with the large amount of demon texts they were amassing.She had fit in well with the group since they had left Pylea.Sure, she was nervous and a bit jumpy, but you had to expect that.Cordelia allowed herself a small smile at the thought of the attachment that Fred had formed for Angel.She saw him as some sort of protector and would sit patiently, day after day, listening to him say, well, very little, if anything at all, about how he was feeling.She would just sit there in companionable silence with him, making sure he knew someone was there for him - if he ever had a complete character change and decided to talk.The thought of her friend drew her eyes to the office.Wesley had graciously given it up to Angel, for the time being, it wasn't a permanent fixture, but they all felt, at the moment, that having a brooding (well, more than usual) vampire in the main office was quite off putting for the people who came in for help.He had the habit of staring through them and mainly ignoring them.He was still working and going out with them to jobs, but Cordelia knew neither his heart, nor his soul was quite in it.It was an improvement though, it had taken them weeks and massive amounts of coaxing to get him even to come out of his apartment.

She could see Angel sitting, staring into space, his eyes dark and empty.She got up from her desk and walked over to the door.Angel was just opening the top drawer of his desk.She noticed a small photograph lying there and she knew whom it would be of.

"Angel, coffee…" she began, when he cried out and bent over double, as if in pain.She ran quickly to his side.

"Angel?What is it, what hurts, oh my god, Wesley call an ambulance, it could be a heart attack."

Angel looked up at her, pain in his eyes.

"Heart attack?Now that would be a miracle." he said.

"Well, what's wrong, what happened?"

"I don't know."Angel said, sitting up slowly."I just felt this pain, like something was being ripped out from inside of me."

"Something…" Cordelia began cautiously,"something, maybe, soul like?I mean, do any of us look tasty to you, not hungering for a bit of a massacre?"

Angel sat quietly for a minute.

"Everything seems to be in check, maybe, it's just too much coffee."Angel said, trying to make light of the situation.

"Are you sure you're OK?"Wesley asked from the doorway.

"I'm fine."Angel said."I'll be fine."He looked Cordelia directly in the eyes.

"Well, there goes my hope that the Power's had transferred the horrible debilitating visions to you."Cordelia huffed, as she went out of the office.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ten days later, Xander was walking down the same road Willow and Spike had walked, towards the construction site.His company had been instructed to tear the tower down and start building some new houses on the grounds.He hadn't told the rest of the gang about the job because he didn't know how they would react.Personally, he was quite happy that the tower would soon be destroyed.It was a pretty harsh memory of what had gone on that night, none of them could pass it by without reliving the events, and he knew that Dawn had been avoiding it completely.No, this would be the best for everyone.Especially Willow, she had been really quite strange lately.It was beginning to worry him, he knew that Willow was taking Buffy's death incredibly hard, as were they all, but Willow seemed to have withdrawn even more into herself the past week or so, and no one could seem to work out why.She wouldn't even talk to Tara about it.

Xander entered the site and began the initial check before any of the men arrived, the boss had sent him down to assess the site, prior to any work starting.Xander was quite proud, it was the first time he had been given this amount of responsibility.

He began to wander around just in front of the tower, checking for drainage and any unstable ground.He noticed a few marks in the ground here and there, some bits of rubbish lying around.Most probably kids, he thought.He began to walk over towards the tower, slow steady steps.His heartbeat was increasing as he passed the spot where her body had fallen.Tears began to well up into his eyes, as he thought of his friend, but he pushed his grief to the back of his mind, he had a job to do.He walked around the side of the tower and a glinting in the ground caught his eye. Glass shards lay partly embedded in the ground, millions of them catching the sun.Something pretty dense had obviously been broken down here.He followed them round to the back of the tower, to check if there were anything more.The shards seemed to stop, there were some crates lying around at the base and a bit of wood debris, but that was it.He was about to turn and walk away, when his brain registered something else.He stepped cautiously over towards the debris and he saw it again.A hand was lying on the ground.He knelt down and closed his eyes, praying quietly to himself.

"Please let this be attached to an arm, which is attached to a body."

"…And a head." he added, as an afterthought.He'd seen too much in Sunnydale.

Still with his eyes closed, he lifted up a large piece of wood on top of the pile.He slowly opened his eyes and looked down.

"Holy, moly Batman." he whispered, under his breath.

There was a body lying on the ground, under the crates.A body in a pink dress, a body in a very familiar pink dress, a prom dress to be more exact, a body which seemed in a very good condition, considering, and which had a very familiar face to it.

"Buffy."

Xander backed away and sat on the ground, breathing heavily.The shrill pierce of his mobile phone, shocked him into some form of consciousness.

"Harris, is the site all right?I want to send some men down now.I need to know what kind of tools and machines we need.Harris, HARRIS?"The voice of his boss rang out in his ear.

"Erm, erm."Xander stalled, trying desperately to think of what he could do or say, people on their way down.He had to do something.

"Harris, is everything all right?"

"Sorry Mr.Taylor." he said, voice shaking."It's just my mother rang, my grandmother was taken very sick this morning and she's asking for me.Its all a bit of a shock."That was an understatement and probably more of a shock to his grandmother, who was fighting fit at 84.

"Well you'd better go, I'll send Duncan down to assess the site."Mr. Taylor replied, gruffly.

"Thank you sir, I'd better go to her."

"Well, make sure you're back at the site tomorrow.I need all my workers for this contract.But well, grandmothers, they are important, I remember when my grandmother…" Xander cut his boss off before he could start reminiscing about the past and when he was young.

"Have to go boss, sorry, you know, not long to go and all that."

"Yes, right, best wishes to everyone and all."Xander hung up the phone and just sat there, his brain trying to process the mass of information running through it.Whatever he did he had to move fast, the other guys would be along shortly.

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the crates and swept Buffy up into his arms and quickly walked out of the yard.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Giles was standing behind the counter in the magic shop, trying to make heads or tails of the account books that Anya had been filling in recently for him.His head was already beginning to ache and it was only the start of the day.He had sent the ex-demon out on an errand to get some change from the bank.The knowledge of all that money seemed to keep her happy about that task.He knew he was the only one in the shop, so when a massive crash was heard from the back room, he was alert immediately.He grabbed a broadsword from behind the counter and cautiously walked towards the back of the shop and training room.He heard another crash now, it sounded very much like the back door being kicked through.He held his sword aloft and walked steadily through the door into the other room.

Xander stood in the middle of the training mat, breathing heavily, red in the face.

"Xander, what on earth is the matter, shouldn't you be at work?"

Xander just looked at him, straight in the face and uttered the words.

"Houston, we have a problem."

"My back door, that's a problem looming heavily at the moment, who's going to pay…" but Giles didn't finish his sentence.Xander had stepped to one side, revealing the prone form on the floor behind him.

"Buffy!"Giles whispered.

[Feedback (if you like it, let me know)][1]

[Chapter 3][3]

  


[[1]][4] Italian –I am the creator, allow me entrance

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: #_ftn1
   [3]: breakingwalls3.htm
   [4]: #_ftnref1



	3. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 3

Giles walked quickly past Xander and knelt on the floor next Buffy

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 3 - 3/12 - Rated PG - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's.But if they were mine I give them to Duck's for safekeeping J  
PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Definitely wanted, its my first attempt.  
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie, AlwaysLuv and Mark my Beta readers and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines

Now on with the storytelling………..

Giles walked quickly past Xander and knelt on the floor next Buffy.He rested his head gently on her chest.

"Well, she's breathing, but I can't find a heartbeat, could you find one?"

"Gee, let me think.Well, I found this body and thought, that looks quite familiar, like the body of my best friend who I buried nearly four months ago, and the first thing I asked myself was does she have a heartbeat and not 'This is a bit weird, better take her to Giles!'"

Giles listened to her chest once more.

"I think we can assume there is no heartbeat and that she's in no present danger, life signs-wise."

"Is it the fact she's dead that gives that one away?"Xander quipped back.

"Sorry, emotional distress, bit of a shock." he said in way of apology.

"Understandable in the situation.Xander, I think you'd better go and ring Willow, but whatever you do, don't let anyone else know and tell Willow the same.Until we know exactly what has happened we have to keep this between ourselves."

Xander walked out of the room into the main body of the shop.As he walked he let out the breath he had been metaphorically holding inside since he had first found her.He still couldn't get his head around all of this and was glad Giles had given him something to do, but now the question was, how would he tell Willow?'By the way, I just found our recently deceased friend, guess what, Buffy's back?'He picked up the receiver and dialled the familiar number, he guessed he'd just play it by ear, much like he always did.

"Hi Tara, is Will there?"

He heard the bustle in the background as Willow came to the phone.

"Hi Xan, what's up?"

"Secret meeting at the Batcave, Will, just you, and don't tell anyone where you are going, not even Tara"

"What's it about?"

"OK, see you soon, bye-bye."Xander hung up.Less time on the phone, less time for him to make a mess of it all and scream out, 'She's alive!' or some other contrived phrase.He'd let Giles handle the explaining part.

Xander walked back towards the training room, but at the open doorway he stopped.Giles sat on the floor next to Buffy, gently stroking her hair and whispering to her.

"I'm so proud of what you did, of how you did your duty and, most of all, protected Dawn.She quite reminds me of you these days.Thank you, for allowing me to look after her for you.You always knew how proud I was of you as a slayer, and as a person, but you never knew how much I loved you, and how much I thought of you as my own.If I could have chosen a daughter in this world, Buffy, I would have chosen you.I promise I will do whatever it takes to understand what has happened here.I promise."

Xander coughed quietly in the doorway.

"Giles, Willow is coming up the street.What are we going to do?"

Giles stood up, discreetly wiping the tears from his cheek.

"We'd better talk to her in the Magic Shop, explain things, lessen the shock a little.Buffy will be safe in here."

"OK, you're the grown-up."Xander answered, thankfully.

Two minutes later Willow came running through the door of the shop, it had begun raining outside and she was dripping wet.

"Wet look suits you Will."Xander observed, from where he was perched on the end of the table.

"No time for a coat."Willow gasped, hyperventilating."Secret meeting?"

"Ah yes."Giles said, wandering across the room."I think you'd better sit down Willow, we have something to tell you."

Willow found herself a chair and sat at the table, watching them with her big dark eyes.

"Right, yes, well.Something, well, something quite unforeseen has happened and we don't quite understand it as yet.You see, sometimes, well, things, unexpected things, can happen for various reasons and well…"

Xander looked at Willow's confused face.

"Will, some mojo has happened and Buffy's back.She's in the back room."

Willow jumped up out of her seat and rushed into the training room.

"I think that could have been done a little more subtly, Xander."

"I'm sure it could, Summary Guy, but hey, I got to find out when I tripped over Buffy at the construction site, no nice explanations there for me."

Both Xander and Giles followed Willow's erratic path to the training room and stepped through the doorway, to hear the words:

"Bloody hell Red, you did it!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow stood in the middle of the room, facing Spike, who sat on the floor next to the body of the Slayer.Xander and Giles stood silently in the doorway.

"Look, she's breathing an all!Bloody perfect!"

Willow just stood there taking everything in.

Giles walked up behind her, he took hold of one arm and led her to a chair at the side of the room.

"I think you'd better tell me what you did." he requested.

The redhead sat there in stunned silence, occasionally glancing over at the seemingly sleeping body of her best friend.

"Willow?"Giles asked again."We need help, we need to help Buffy."

"Is she, is she OK?"Willow asked quietly.

"We don't know, she seems okay, she has no heartbeat, though she breathes. But she hasn't awoken since we found her."

"Where?"Willow whispered."Where did you find her?"

"I found her at the construction site, Will.Under some crates and things.I don't know how long she'd been there."Xander answered.

"Ten days, she's been there for ten days."

"Willow," Giles said, more forcefully, "what happened?"

Willow took a deep breath and began to tell the story,

"I took the resurrection spell, the one that Dawn had been messing with.I got some help off some Wiccans I'd met over the 'Net and they helped me piece a stronger spell together."

"Willow, what did you use in this spell?"

"We used a lock of her hair, an orb of Thesulah, to recapture her soul, umm, some blood from a Mohra demon egg…" Willow paused, trying to think.

"And this."Spike said, producing the silver cross from his pocket, where he had been keeping it.It had been slowly burning a hole in his jacket for the past few days, but he had found it comforting somehow.Now, however, held in the palm of his hand, the burn was a less comforting and more agonising pain.He quickly realised what he held and threw it across the room, yelping.

Xander walked over, retrieved it, and held it up.

"Now, how do you know all about this Spike?"He asked, quite threateningly.

"Spike, was with me the night we did the spell."

Xander stared across at Willow, a myriad of emotions playing behind his eyes.Spike, the annoying thorn in his side, had helped his best friend with the spell that had brought back the third of their trio.It was too much to think about at the moment.

"Willow, why have we not come across her before now?What happened on that night?"Giles asked, interrogating gently again.

"Something disturbed us, something happened with the spell, everything got blown about and the orb was smashed.The others ran off, I didn't think the spell had been finished properly.So I shouted out the final chants and then laid a binding spell across the site, in case something had gone wrong."She trailed off and went quiet again, glancing across at Buffy.

"Giles, will she be OK?"She looked up at the Watcher, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I think we need to proceed with much caution now.For one thing, we do not know what is going to wake up within that body.We have to try and distance ourselves from this a little.A resurrection spell is a very difficult spell to succeed with, we have no idea of knowing whether that is Buffy or not, until she wakes."

Xander looked down at the necklace in his hand and walked across to where she was lying, he crouched down and gently placed the necklace around her neck.He held his breath and waited for a moment then he stepped back to Giles and Willow.

"Well, I guess that rules out vampire."He paused for a moment, "So what next, Chief?"

"We need to keep a watch over her from now on, until she wakes.I need to do more research into this spell, Willow, I will need any information you have about it."

Willow just nodded.

"What do we tell the others?"Xander asked.

"We tell as few people as little as possible, at the moment and, especially, not Dawn."Giles was very firm about this.

"We have no idea what the outcome of this is going to be, so the less people to know about it the better."

"Now all we need is for somewhere to look after her which is out of the way."

Spike immediately piped up, "Well, we can put her in the crypt, I can look after her."

Xander looked over at the pale man.

"Spike, on previous occasions you have created a robot in Buffy's likeness and used it as some sick sex object, I don't think we'll be trusting you with her unconscious body.I have a spare room at the apartment we can use, and Dawn doesn't come over there all that much. Could we look after Buffy there?"

"Yes, obviously we are all going to have to be available to watch her round the clock.She can never be left alone for any time at all.It also goes without saying that Dawn cannot be suspicious of what is going on."

At that point Anya walked into the room, on her way back from the bank.

"Hi everyone, I got the money.Oh, hello, Buffy."

With that, she walked back out into the main body of the shop, towards the till.Giles signalled to Xander to follow her and explain the situation a bit better to her.

"Anya, something quite strange has happened."

"Yes I can see, Buffy is back from the dead."Anya carried on counting the money.

"Right, well she is going to have to come and stay in the apartment for a while until she gets better.In the spare room."

"Very well, as long as we don't use the best sheets, dead people don't need good sheets." Anya said and put her head down again.

Xander walked back into the training room.

"Well that's all sorted out then."

"Good," Giles said, "we'd better move her before Dawn comes back from school."

Spike went to pick up the body of the prone slayer.

"Not so fast Spike, its daylight, I think the flames would get in the way of carrying her anywhere safely."

Xander picked her up, once more, in his arms and led the way out of the back of the shop to Giles' car.Giles and Willow followed, carrying books concerning healing and resurrection.

Spike ran out of the shop and lifted up the nearest sewage lid and dropped underground.They might have stopped him having her in the crypt, but he'd be damned if they were going to stop him looking after her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Their lives followed very much the same pattern for the next few weeks. Spike generally stayed with Buffy during the day, they had put blackout curtains over the windows for him.He sat next to the bed, reading British papers to her, telling her about Manchester United's latest win, or what Posh Spice was wearing this week.Xander looked after her in the evenings when he got in from work.Willow and Giles tended to come at night, leaving Spike free to go out patrolling.

It wasn't looking good though, Spike complained every night when he came in, that there were more and more demons out there.Newspaper reports, every day, noted strange occurrences, people turning against neighbours and friends.And still the Slayer slept.

It was a Saturday night, Giles and Willow had elected to stay up with Buffy.Dawn had gone to a friend's for a sleepover.Giles was just reliving the trauma of taking Dawn to the mall for new clothes for school.

"I had no idea that young girls required so many outfits, and some of them so…well, revealing."

"You'd be happy if she wore a tweed suit, wouldn't you?"Willow said, smiling at the Watcher.

"No, not exactly, but some of the clothes were hardly functional."

"Functional!"Willow laughed."Remember some of the things Buffy used to wear to patrol in?You could hardly call them functional."

Giles laughed for a split second, and then his expression returned to the same pensive norm it had been for the past few weeks.He looked to the bed, at the body of the Slayer.She was still wearing the pink prom dress that they had chosen for her to be buried in. He couldn't help, but notice how beautiful she looked, just as she had that night.Xander had found the umbrella she had been awarded at school that night and had opened it up above the bed, shining glitter marks glinted on her face, giving her some other worldly beauty.

"Giles," Willow whispered, "is she ever going to come around?"

"I hope so, Willow, I hope so."

He took hold of Buffy's hand and looked at her again.It had been three weeks now, since Xander had found the body, and at least one month since Willow had cast the original resurrection spell.He had read text, after text, after text on resurrections and healing, and they had cast spell after spell, to try and heal her, but all the books just gave the same advice, they had to wait until the soul was ready to return and then she would awake.

"I'm sorry."Willow whispered to her friend. 

Giles looked up at the young girl.

"Willow, I'm never going to condone your actions, you acted irresponsibly and used forces beyond your own powers, anything could have happened and things might still.However, what we have to concentrate on, is that you brought Buffy back, and we have to use everything we have to bring her back into the world again, in one piece."

Willow nodded her head.

"Shall we try another healing spell?"She asked.

Giles leaned down next to him and picked up a book he had open on the floor.He placed it across the body on the bed and they both began to chant.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

That night, Angel Investigations had started off the same as most nights, a vision coming to Cordy with a brief, cryptic message for them all.Wesley and Fred hit the books, Angel and Gunn hit the weapons cabinet and took turns to check on Cordelia.The vision had shown a group of demons, which were trying to raise some great Power to influence the world, by using human sacrifices, mainly homeless kids, taken from the streets.

"So some big guys wanna take over the world again?"Gunn asked.

"Yeah, Friday night, same old, same old."Cordelia replied.

"Maybe we should try talking to Anne at the shelter?"Wesley asked.

Gunn made a quick phone call and then the gang ran out and got into Angel's car.With five of them now, it was getting to be a bit of a squash. Wesley had proposed buying a van, but had the idea laughed at for being far too 'A-team'.

They drove through the streets of LA and pulled up outside the homeless shelter, run by a girl called Anne, whom they had been in contact with before.

They all strode through the front doors and towards the office at the back of the building where she worked.

Anne was waiting for them behind the desk.She had photographs, in front of her, of three kids who had gone missing recently.Gunn picked them up and he and Cordelia began studying them.

"They left the shelter about two weeks ago, said some big guys had been hanging about offering them work and a place to live, they took their chances and haven't been seen since."

"Any idea who the men are?" Wesley asked.

"No not really, just that some of the guys say that they give them the creeps, that there is something not quite right about them."

"Are you sure they really are missing?Didn't just find some other place to crash?"Gunn asked.

"No, one of these guys has a little sister here, he said he'd come back and get her in a couple of days, when he was settled.She hasn't heard from him."

"Has anyone any idea where these men run their business from?"Wesley asked.

"Yeah, I think Jonal and his gang went looking around down there one day.Alison!" she shouted, to a young girl outside the room."Can you go and get Jonal down here for me?"

Alison went running off up the stairs.

Fred was walking about the office, she never really said much, just absorbing everything since she'd come back from the demon dimension.She picked up a stuffed toy that Anne had on the shelf. 

"He looks well looked after." she said, in her whispery voice.

"A good friend gave her to me.She gave me a lot, actually.We met when I got into some trouble with a 'supposed' helper of the homeless, who was taking street kids and making them work in this strange factory place.I was a mess then.She came down and got us all out, she was amazing, risked herself to save us all, not even knowing who we were.She gave me her job and her room, even let me have her alias 'Anne'.I was called Lily then.She was the reason I set this place up, she showed me that there are people willing to help others.She left that stuffed toy with me, and I named it after her…" Anne paused for a second, she looked up and saw Angel staring straight at the stuffed toy, recognition in his eyes.

"Buffy."He said, each syllable of the word its own agony.

"Yeah, that was her, I always wondered what happened to her."

"She's dead."Angel finished.

Anne looked shocked for a second, but before she could reply, Jonal appeared in the office.

"Anne, you wanted me?I'm just on my way out."

Anne snapped out of her surprise for a moment.

"Jonal, yeah, where was that place where the other guys went to find work?The one you went to the other week."

"It's an old disused factory on East 33rd street, has a sign saying Party People over the door.Is that it?"

"Yeah sure, you can go."

Anne looked up to see if the group had gotten the message, only to see the end of Angel's duster leave the office.She looked around at the rest of them.

"I'm sorry.I didn't know you knew her, I didn't mean to upset anyone."

"Believe me, that's not even 'unhappy' with Angel."Cordelia said, trying to reassure the young girl.

The group said their goodbyes and made their way out of the office to find Angel.When they got outside, they found the car still there but no Angel.Each of them knew instantly that he'd gone ahead without them, so they followed him to the factory.

They walked in through the kicked in doorway and took in the scene before them.Five demons lay dead or unconscious on the floor, robes and artefacts scattered around them.The three missing kids were cowering in a corner of the room.Wesley ran across to them.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

The oldest of the kids began to speak.

"We came here for work and a place to stay but there were these guys here and they're part of some cult kind of thing.There wasn't any work, they were going to sacrifice us to try and call some gods, some people who they said could influence the way of the world.They already killed a couple of people."Wesley helped the kids to their feet and handed them over to Fred and Cordelia.He could hear sounds of fighting, coming from a further room and followed the noise.

The next room contained an altar, with hundreds of statues and paintings of two very beautiful Greek people on them, each one was priceless and had obviously been collected over a great length of time.In the centre of this altar stood Angel, a broken piece of wood in his hand.

"They must have been trying to summon The Powers That Be."Wesley explained.

"You don't say."Angel called back.

"We must gather all these things, this collection must have taken eons to congregate."

Angel took one look at his friend, turned his back and swept the statues off their altar onto the floor.He slashed the wood through paintings, smashed pottery and kicked the altar until it was in pieces on the floor.Wesley stood back and watched Angel destroy the room, all the time screaming out, into the heavens.

"Why?Why did you take her from me?Why let her die?"His cries were pure animal and terrifying.

He screamed once more towards the roof, "How can you expect me to carry on this work without her?"He then reached into his pocket, pulled out his lighter and dropped it at the edge of the altar.The entire thing went up in flames around him.He just turned and walked away, past Wesley, and out into the night.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow sat by the side of the bed when Xander came into the room.

"Ho-Ho?"He asked, eating one whole.

Willow just shook her head.Xander came across the room and sat by her side, without a single thought, he took her into his arms and held her close.

"Its like a part of you is missing, right?"

"Exactly."Willow answered.

"It's weird, having her here, but not.It's like, worse, somehow, than before.Then we could get on with our lives, carry on without her, start to deal.But now, she's here, well, her body is, and we can't do anything."

Willow looked at him, guilt in her eyes.

"Don't look like that, Will, I would have done the same if I could have, she's a part of us, she couldn't stay dead."

"When did you become so grown up?" Willow asked.

"I guess the thought of marriage does that to a guy."

"It just seems like everything is so much harder now, so many more choices and decisions.I mean, It's just this past year, everything seems to have become more like the big bad world, instead of our own insular little place.I remember all the fun we used to have in high school."

"You mean, apart from continually having to avert the apocalypse?"Xander joked.

"You know what I mean, everything was lighter and fun, the only person we really lost was Ms. Calendar, but this time, we lost one of us, we lost the main body and I don't know if she's going to come back."

"We'll do everything we can, Will, the Buffster isn't going this time without a fight."

"I just can't bear to let her go again.Xander, I just can't."

"I never thought I'd be saying this, but I can think of at least one other person who lives in LA who is taking it just as hard as us.Has Angel been told she's back?"

"No," Willow answered."I called Cordelia, but she told me what a terrible state he was in, and that they were just getting him to go out again.I couldn't tell them she's back, especially not if we are going to lose her again.Cordelia is worried enough that his soul isn't going to stand it."

"Yeah well, Angel always liked a good brood…"

At that point Willow jumped up and ran from the room, "I've got to call Giles!" she called, "I think I know what's wrong!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Cordelia walked, once more, into Angel's office.It had been a week since the events at the shelter and Angel had once more sunk back into the silent brooding depression.

"Right," she said, storming into his apartment.She drew back the curtains and began picking things up from around the place. "Get dressed, you have to go out."

"I'm fine where I am."

"You're not, you're moping and brooding and it's not good.There is a world out there."

"I don't belong in it."

"Oh yes, you do.You're here to help people, Buffy would have wanted you to."

"There isn't anyone to help tonight."

"Surprisingly, there is.You see, downstairs there is a quiet, mousy librarian, who we dragged into this world from a demon dimension.You see, she formed quite a bond with you, and recently hasn't seen all that much of you, so tonight, you're taking Fred out to dinner.No arguments!You owe us!"

Angel took one look at her and decided it really wasn't worth arguing with her.She was right, he hadn't spent any time at all with Fred since they had come back and, maybe a night away from all of this would be good, help clear his mind a little.Maybe he could fool himself for a second, that this nightmare was just that.

"Alright, let me get changed." he said, resignedly.

Cordelia let herself out of the apartment, a small smile on her face.It was about time that he got on with his life, it'd been nearly half a year now.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

That same Saturday night five people sat in the back room of Xander's apartment, around the quiet still body of a very close friend.Xander was there, opposite were Spike, Giles, Willow and Tara.Anya had been sent to Giles' apartment to look after Dawn and to let her win at Monopoly.

The five held hands across the body and across a glass orb that sat on her chest.

"Is everyone ready?"Giles asked, looking at the young faces about the room.

They all nodded. Willow had proposed the idea, to Giles, that the reason Buffy was still 'sleeping', was because her soul had not been tied into her body properly, that the orb had smashed before the spell was finished.They had been preparing, now, to complete the spell.

"Let's give her a kiss and see if Sleeping Beauty awakes."Xander said, in confirmation.

They all closed their eyes and started chanting.

_"Soulcatcher return to us what is hers,_

Give us this essence that completes her."

_ _

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Cordelia had picked a very authentic and peaceful Italian restaurant for Angel and Fred to eat in, just a five-minute walk from the hotel.They had talked amicably, at the start, about what Fred remembered of her previous life, and of the demon world, and how she felt now she was back.

"I just feel lost, somehow," she told Angel, "like, when I was on Pylea, it wasn't right, but I was a cow, I knew what my purpose was.Here, I just don't know anymore."

"I know how that feels."Angel stated.

Fred just looked at him, her eyes just, somehow, gave him this comfortable feeling, like he could talk to her about anything.

"I was sent to some other dimension a few years ago and brought back, and for a long time I didn't know the reason why I had returned.The things I had done, I should never have been allowed to exist, but for some reason, I was given a second chance.It took someone very close to me to show me that I could make whatever I wanted of myself, that I was needed.She gave me the chance to explore my inner feelings more than anyone, she was the one who brought me here."

The waiter placed their main courses down on the table.Angel went silent once more as he reached over to pick up a fork.Fred caught the glint of light, off a ring on his finger.

"That's a very beautiful ring.Is it from someone special?"

Angel looked down at the Claddagh ring on his finger.He had placed it there again, after hearing of her death, to signify he was with her forever.As he looked up towards Fred again, she noticed he had an identical, but smaller version on a chain around his neck.

"Did Buffy give that to you?" she asked quietly.

"No," Angel answered, "I gave the one around my neck to her, to signify that we were together, I wore an identical one to hers.I promised myself that if we couldn't be together, then I would always keep her ring to give back to her when we were together again."

Fred saw the sheer misery behind his eyes, but she carried on.Cordelia had told her that he was unwilling to talk about his pain, but now she had gotten him started, she didn't want him to stop.

"Did you go to her funeral?" Fred asked.

"The funeral?"Angel replied.Millions of thoughts ran through his head.He had been in Pylea when they had buried her, all alone.Willow had tried to contact him, but he was out of reach, his darling Buffy had been buried and had never know how much she meant to him.

"No, I didn't go, I was detained elsewhere."Angel's voice began to break.He wanted to tell Fred how much this girl had meant to him, how she was his salvation and his reward, but before he could begin to get the words out, another searing pain went through his body as it had done before, in the office.

Fred watched in shock as Angel crumpled to the floor, plates smashing against the tarmac.He could only utter one word.

"Buffy."

Inside his body, all the cells that connected to his sense of her, that told him when she was near, screamed out in agony.He looked up into the eyes of the woman sitting across from him and felt like he had betrayed his own soul.

"I have to go." he muttered, throwing enough money, to cover the meal, on the table."I'm sorry."And he ran off into the darkness.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

At that moment, the five casters had reached the peak of the spell.Colours and lights were swirling around the room, all eyes had turned dark and were staring at the ceiling.The orb, in the middle of Buffy's chest, began to glow a brilliant white.The chanting continued until a final word was spoken.

"Return!"

With that, all the light that was in the bright orb, vanished into the body beneath it.The spell casters were thrown into their respective corners of the room and all the lights in the apartment went out.An eerie silence fell across the area.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Angel ran back to the hotel, glad to see the lights were off, that no one was there.He burst through the doors and on into his office.

His mind was whirling, he didn't know what he was going to do, he just wanted to grab his car keys and go for a drive to clear the emotions running through his head.An envelope on his desk caught his eye.It was addressed to him.Wesley must have left it in his office earlier in the day.Something about the smell coming from it made him pick it up.

He grabbed his letter opener and sliced it open.

_Angel,_

_I found this recently while clearing the last of her belongings, I think that she would have wanted you to have it._

_All my love,_

_Dawn_

_ _

A note on scented paper fell out of the envelope.Angel brought it up to his face and inhaled deeply.It smelled of vanilla and flowers, just like her.He blinked back the tears in his eyes and looked at the writing on the paper.It was scribed in her familiar loopy scrawl.

Darling Angel,

_ _

_Words cannot express how grateful I am to you for coming to me in my time of need.I don't know how I could have coped with the days after the funeral without the memory of you sitting with me through one of the hardest nights of my life.No matter what, you are always there for me when I need you the most.For once in my life I am stuck for words, amazing isn't it?There is so much I want to say to you, but no words seem right.I've made a decision, Angel, and I hope you find it in your heart to agree with me.I've found a song that expresses it exactly for me, so I'll leave you with that, it's by Dina Carroll._

_ _

Feels like a lifetime away  
When I heard you say  
I love you  
And it doesn't feel quite the same  
Going through the day  
Without your loving arms to ease the pain  
I would surely go insane  
But I know we're gonna be with love again  
  
Though you may be far away  
And I have is yesterday  
I can't stop the world from turning  
Only you can stop the hurting  
Though you may be far away  
Time and space will not erase  
The look of pain upon your face  
Said everything you could not say  
I know as sure as I breathe  
Love will always bring you back to me  
  
If I had to fall in love again  
I wouldn't hesitate  
If it was with you  
But love's story had to go and change  
One thing remains  
I will never be in love this way again  
You know my heart's with you  
Even when I can't be next to you  
  
Though you may be far away  
And I have is yesterday  
I can't stop the world from turning  
Only you can stop the hurting  
Though you may be far away  
Time and space will not erase  
The look of pain upon your face  
Said everything you could not say  
I know as sure as I breathe  
Love will always bring you back to me  
  
I knew life would never be the same  
Though my nights are long  
I keep holding on  
Sometimes I feel just like a child again  
When I've lost control  
Yet I know  
That as sure as I breathe  
Love will always bring you back to me

_ _

I think we've been apart for long enough.You wanted me to have a normal life, well I've been there, and I've done that and nothing compares to spending my life with you.

_ _

_I love you, until the end of time._

_ _

_Buffy_

_ _

A single tear fell down the vampire's face.He grabbed his car keys and scribbled a quick note to Cordy, which just stated, 'I'm fine, there's someone I have to go and see.'

He ran out of the hotel and got into the car, parked outside.He turned the engine on and headed for the freeway.He was going back to Buffy, he needed to go to the graveside, needed to truly grieve for his soulmate.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Inside Xander's apartment five people began to move around in the darkness.Xander headed towards the door of the bedroom, to go and fix the lighting problem, but as he got to the doorway and opened it enough to let the moonlight in, something stopped him.Buffy sat up on the bed, where she had been for a month, and uttered a single word.

"Angel?"

END OF CHAPTER 3

[Feedback (if you like it, let me know)][1]

[Chapter 4][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: breakingwalls4.htm



	4. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 4

Again she whispered into the dark room, "Angel

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 4 - 4/12 - Rated PG - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's.But if they were mine I give them to Duck's for safekeeping J  
PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Definitely wanted, it's my first attempt.  
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie, AlwaysLuv and Mark my Beta readers and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines.Also to a fantastic program in the UK called Hearts and Bones who gave me the ideas for a few of the dialogue lines.

Again she whispered into the dark room, "Angel?"

Her eyes were adjusting to being open for the first time in a month; she desperately tried to make out the figures in the room.She saw Xander stand, open mouthed in the doorway, the familiar figure of Giles by the side of the bed, a strange blond girl she didn't recognise stood next to Willow.But some slayer sense made her look at Willow again, she was down on the floor, and underneath her, struggling madly, was Spike.All of Buffy's slayer instincts kicked in, she jumped up from the bed and dragged Spike away from her friend.With all the remaining strength she had in her, she kicked him through the open doorway, narrowly missing Xander in the process.Commotion broke out in the room, as Xander ran to fix the lights, Buffy ran for Spike and Spike ran for his life. 

Buffy walked into the lounge, stumbling slightly as her legs resisted movement.She walked over to a coffee table and calmly broke it in two, creating a stake for herself.Turning slowly, she opened up her senses to find Spike.Noting that he was currently crawling behind the back of the sofa, she charged across the room and over the piece of furniture.With one kick, Spike lay prone on his back and Buffy lunged from above him, aiming for his heart, an animalistic snarl emerging from her lips.The lights illuminated the scene and a voice cried out.

"Buffy, no, stop!"Giles shouted.

Spike took the Slayer's momentary disorientation to roll over, so the stake plunged harmlessly to the floor, just by his face.

"Bloody hell Slayer, you could have had someone's heart out with that!"

Xander had dashed over to the unfolding drama and tightly gripped Buffy's arms in his embrace.The Slayer squirmed against his body, trying to get free.Under other circumstances this would have been a dream come true for the young man, but not at this moment.

"Buffy, stop!Much as it pains me to say, Spike's a good guy."

"Spike?Good?"Buffy said, incredulously.

"This is the same Spike we're talking about, the same sad, bleached blonde, Billy Idol wanna-be?"

"Hey, I resent that!"Spike said, and stormed out to find beer in Xander's kitchen.

Xander and the rest of the gang moved Buffy, gently, to the couch and sat her down.

"I don't understand." she said in a lost voice.

"Buffy," Giles began gently,"do you know who we are?"

"Of course I do," she said, confidently."You're Giles, that's Xander and that's Willow.Vampire boy is in the kitchen, but I don't know who you are." she said, accusingly, to Tara.

Tara went and sat beside Willow, shyness overcoming her once more.

"You're all different, somehow though.Xander, you're bigger, Will, your hair is shorter and Giles, you seem less, well, stuffy."

"Buffy, do you remember what happened?"Willow asked.

"Yes, I got attacked by a demon and it cut me.Giles, you found out that I would take on the aspect of a demon, and I did, I could hear voices.Only a few at first, but then I could hear more and more, I couldn't shut the voices out."

"What do you remember from just before you woke up?"Giles asked.

"I remember being in my bedroom." She looked around the strange apartment."And my mom looking after me, but she was trying to stay away, so I wouldn't read her thoughts.She was trying to hide things."She looked up at Giles as it came back to her.

"Oh my god, you had sex with my mother!Eww, teenage trauma!"

"And moving on."Giles said quickly.

"Then I remember just hearing all these voices, and then my head hurting a lot, and wanting to go to sleep.Then I woke up, here."She looked around again at the worried faces.

"What's happened to me?To you?Is this something the Mayor did?Faith?"Buffy was beginning to get hysterical.

"Buffy, I think you need to lie down and rest while we try and work out some answers."Giles said.Willow got up and began to lead her friend to the bedroom.Buffy shook Willow off and turned on the group.

"I don't want to rest!" she shouted, "I want to know what's going on!"

The faces looked back at her, fear and confusion showing through.

"Where's Angel?"She asked again, in a quiet voice.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Angel was driving along the freeway from Los Angeles.It was night and the roads were almost empty.He'd taken the opportunity to pull the top down on the car.It was senseless he knew, but sometimes, he thought that, maybe, the wind could blow all these thoughts out of his head and just leave empty space, nothing to think about, nothing to hurt over.

His emotions were running like wildfire, he hadn't really thought about his actions since he left Fred at the restaurant, he just knew he had a desperate longing inside him to go to Sunnydale and to say goodbye properly, although he knew deep down he would never truly let her go.

His mind was filled with thoughts of her as he drove. The first time he'd seen her face, their first meeting in the alley, the first kiss, that night when the Master had killed her and he had to watch Xander bring her back when he couldn't.The night he'd taken her ice-skating and she accepted him for who he really was, then that first night at his apartment.He pushed a cassette into the tape player and music spilled out into the silent night air.

I'm lying alone with my head on the phone  
Thinking of you till it hurts  
I know you hurt too, but what else can we do  
Tormented and torn apart  
I wish I could carry your smile in my heart  
For times when my life feels so low  
It would make me believe what tomorrow could bring  
When today doesn't really know, doesn't really know  
  
I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you  
I know you were right believing for so long  
I'm all out of love, what am I without you  
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong

He felt tears welling and a longing in his soul, as he remembered that night, the way she'd looked into his eyes when she'd asked him to kiss her, the gentle way they had made love that night.His heart broke all over again when he remembered how Angelus had treated her after that, and that moment when he'd returned, and she'd found the strength to kill him.And when he came back from hell, how she'd looked after him, and how they couldn't stay away from one another.And then he'd walked away, the hardest choice he had ever made.He allowed his mind to stray fitfully over that one beautiful day at Thanksgiving two years ago when he had been human, briefly.He knew he'd never have a day like that again, that was his one perfect moment.And then he recalled the fights they'd had, over Faith, and then over Riley.And finally his mind passed over the night of Joyce's funeral, when he'd made a journey much like this, but to be by her side.When he'd taken her in his arms once more and the chaos that was his life at that moment had settled again.That was the night he'd decided to go back.

I want you to come back and carry me home  
Away from these long lonely nights  
I'm reaching for you, are you feeling it too  
Does the feeling seem oh so right  
And what would you say if I called on you now  
And said that I can't hold on  
There's no easy way, it gets harder each day  
Please love me or I'll be gone, I'll be gone

_ _

_I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you  
I know you were right believing for so long  
I'm all out of love, what am I without you  
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong_

But he had been too late.There had only ever been one person whose presence could make sense of his future, and now she was gone.What future did he have left?

He tore the tape out of the player and threw it out onto the freeway.It hit the dusty road and shattered, spilling black reams out across the road.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Buffy sat in the lounge, silence surrounding her.Everywhere she looked there was a friendly face, but there was a stranger within their bodies.Giles walked across and sat next to her on the settee.

"Angel," Giles took a deep sigh, "Angel, went away a while ago, he was needed elsewhere."

"Buffy, we aren't fighting the Mayor, or Faith anymore.We, actually you, defeated them a long time ago."

Buffy just looked at him, disbelief in her eyes.

"Angel," she whispered again.

"Two years have passed since we fought the Mayor on Graduation Day, and since then we've faced and killed many more enemies.None were more powerful than your final defeat; Glory."

"I know, this is an alternative reality isn't it?Like when Willow's doppelganger got sucked into our world.It is, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry, Buffy, I don't know what to say to convince you that this is reality." Giles said, sadly.

Buffy sat silent once more.She didn't want to believe anything that he was telling her, but this was Giles, why would he lie to her?She concentrated as hard as she could and listened to herself breathe, trying to calm down.Suddenly she looked up into the room and, in a little voice, asked.

"Why isn't my heart beating?What's happened to me?"

"In the final fight with Glory, you defeated her, but she had opened a gate to hell, using Dawn's blood.You sacrificed yourself to save Dawn.You jumped from a tower, into the gate to close it, and you didn't survive the fall."

"So why am I here?Now?"

"We brought you back."Willow answered.

"Why?"Buffy asked, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Because you shouldn't have died!It wasn't your time."Xander said, forcefully.

"You sacrificed everything to save Dawn, you didn't deserve to die."Willow completed.

Buffy looked straight at Willow.

"Who's Dawn?"

"You know Dawn, little sis, Dawnie, writer of the teenage angst diaries."Xander tried to jog her memory.

Buffy looked at him blankly.

"How long was I dead for?Longer than last time?"

Giles reluctantly answered her question "Approximately four months."

She looked up at him, the shock registering across her face,

"Four months??I've been dead for four months?"Buffy quickly got up from the couch and began to walk across the room.

"Did you bury me?" she shouted.

"Oh God, did you bury me in this?" she asked, looking down at the prom dress she was wearing.

Buffy began to cry, confused tears seeping down her cheeks.

"Did people cry at my funeral?" she asked, through the tears."My Mom?Angel?"

Suddenly, the door to the apartment burst open and Dawn came running in, followed quickly by Anya.

"I know something's going on, I know you're hiding something…" Dawn started, but then looked at the crying figure in the middle of the room.

"Buffy?" She exclaimed, and ran into the arms of the crying Slayer.

"Oh my god, Buffy, I can't believe it, I can't believe you're here!I thought you'd gone.I've missed you so much.When Mom died, I needed you so much and then you went too!"Dawn babbled on, tears streaming down her face.Buffy stood there, not moving, not registering anything.

"Giles has been looking after me since Mom, well you know.But now, you're here, we can be together again, I can live with you."

Buffy stepped back, out of the younger girl's embrace.

"I don't know you."she said to the teenager before her, "I don't know who you are."

"I'm Dawn!I'm your sister!"Dawn shouted, through the tears.

"I don't have a sister."Buffy said, confused and alone.

Dawn began to sob in the middle of the room.Spike walked over from the kitchen and led the young girl away into a quiet corner."Come on, L'il Bit.She just needs a bit of time to recover an all."

Buffy stood at the epicentre of this whirlwind of emotions, piecing together the bits of information she had.Giles walked across and touched her arm.

"Is my Mom dead?"Buffy asked him.

Giles was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry, she died of a tumour, earlier in the year." 

"Please, sit down for a moment, Buffy.I promise you I'll try and sort this out."

She turned on him, knocking his hand from her arm.

"Sort this out?Sort it all out?"She began to shout, anger rising in her voice."How?How do we sort this out?I've died and been resurrected; only I don't remember what happened or any of the past two years of my life.I don't know any of you, you're lying, and this is all a trick!I would remember having a sister, and I would remember my Mom dying!And Angel would never leave me, he wouldn't!"Buffy opened the apartment door and ran out into the hallway and down the stairs.

Xander, Willow and Giles jumped up and ran out of the open doorway after her.They came out of the bottom of the apartment block and were faced with an empty street.No sign of Buffy in either direction.

Willow stood in the middle of the street as the heaven opened and rain poured down from the night sky.

"What have I done?" she asked.

"You did what you thought was right."Giles replied.

"We'll find her, Will."Xander said, looking off into the darkness."I promise we will."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Angel was nearing the end of the freeway now.The quiet plains around him were beginning to fill with scattered houses and businesses.He was practically driving on autopilot, thoughts of Buffy whirring around his head.As he was getting closer and closer to Sunnydale his entire body was responding.All his senses heightened and his cells tingled.As he passed the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign his knuckles were white, he was gripping the steering wheel so hard.He took a deep breath and began the drive through the town, towards his beloved's resting place.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy ran through the town, away from Xander's apartment.She didn't understand anything that was happening, who anyone was, or even who she was.She just knew that she had to find something familiar, something to centre herself on.She turned into the street and ran along Ravello Drive, past the same old houses that had always been there, along the road until she got to the house she was looking for.

She ran up the path and stopped dead.The house lay, in darkness, in front of her, no welcoming light, and no homeliness about it at all.And then she saw the 'Sold' sign dug into the front garden.She took a few steps back and checked the scene again.It was definitely her road and her house.She ran around the back and saw the tree where Angel had spent so many nights. She saw her bedroom window, that she would sneak out of, the trellis, that she knew every inch of, which she used to climb up and down to exit the house, without her mother knowing, the back porch that she, Xander and Willow used to sit on, talking through the night.Confusion flooded through her, she needed some answers.Maybe her Mom had sold up and moved on after Buffy had died, made a fresh start, because there was no reason for her to stay in Sunnydale after she had gone, was there?Tears blinding her, Buffy ran on, and headed for the cemetery.

She got to the familiar ground in less than a minute and began charging through the stones, looking for the recent ones.She wanted to prove that this was all a lie, which those people, who looked like her friends, had been trying to trick her.She ran along the rows, past the graves and headstones of the many Sunnydale fallen, each unknown name giving her hope.She was nearly at the end of the row when she saw it, the words engraved in the stone, mocking her.

'Joyce Summers, beloved Mother of Buffy and Dawn, '1959-2001''

Buffy sunk to the soft earth in front of the stone, tears pouring down her face.

"No, Mommy, no.How can this madness be true?How can this be real?You can't be dead, I need you, I need you more than ever.I can't have forgotten you dying; I wouldn't forget something like that!These flowers that are here, did I put them here?Did I walk down here one day and lay them on your grave?Oh god, I feel like I only saw you an hour ago, and now you're gone forever and I didn't say goodbye, I didn't know that I wouldn't see you again.And I don't understand who Dawn is.I would know if I had a sister, you would have told me, and now everyone and everything is telling me I have this little sister and I don't know her, I don't know anything."Buffy rested her head on the mound of earth and sobbed hysterically, the nightmare of reality overcoming her.After a few minutes she opened her eyes, hoping and praying that it had all been a dream, but the headstone still read the same.A new grave, next to her mother's, caught her tear filled eyes.She stood up and walked over to it.A fresh bouquet of flowers rested on the top.She reached down and picked the card out.

'We miss you so much'

'Willow, Xander, Giles, Tara, Anya and Dawn'

Before she looked up, she knew the name that was freshly engraved.

BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS

1981-2001

BELOVED SISTER, DEVOTED FRIEND

SHE SAVED THE WORLD  
  
A LOT

It was all too much for her to take in.She had to get away, go somewhere to think where she wouldn't be found.She walked along the cemetery to the end and then she saw it, the one place where so many things had happened over the past year, but the one place where she felt totally safe.The rain began to pour from the heaves so she put her head down and walked purposefully through the night.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Angel left the car at the entrance to the cemetery. He had been to this place so many times before, but strangely had only ever associated it with vaguely happy memories.Of patrolling at night, with Buffy, holding hands and kissing like teenagers behind the gravestones.Young couples have places that they surround with memories, which they return to and feel free of all the pressures of life.Well, this was theirs, their special place.And now it was her final resting place.Somewhat fitting, he felt.

He walked slowly and sedately through the rows of stones.Each stone belonged to someone's loved one; each stone meant something to somebody at some time.But none could mean more than the one he was going to see.No other person in this place could be loved as much as Buffy was and still is, he was sure of that.

He reached the end of the row, and the finality of the engraved words took his useless breath away.He stood, head bowed, at the head of the mound of earth, resting the rising temptation to bury himself in the ground with her.How did it come to this?He wondered.How had it all ended like this?She had died, alone, without him by her side.He'd never had a chance to tell her how he really felt, how jealous he had been when she had told him about Riley, how much he had wanted to beg her to let him back into her life, instead of the country boy, that time he had come to see her at college.Each time his phone rang in LA and there had been no one on the other end, every bit of him had wished it were her, too scared to speak.He had tried to fool everyone that he was all right, that he was getting on with things, leading a normal life.But he never had been able to.Even spending that night with Darla had just brought memories of her back to him, every touch and kiss he had compared to her. 

He sunk to his knees on the ground, the rain pouring across the back of his duster.He couldn't go on, carrying this weight with him for eternity, it wasn't worth it.Without her the world seemed like a dark void.Becoming human meant nothing to him now, it had been her dream and she had made it his.Lives were no longer worth saving because he hadn't saved hers when she needed him too.

As he sat there, crouched in front of the grave, he knew what he was going to do; he knew he would stay there with her, through the night and see the final sunrise together. Then they could be together, forever.The ash from his broken body could sink through the earth and find its lover.His mind made up, he lifted his eyes to the sky for one last time.Morning light would not be long in coming.

But as he took one final look around the cemetery, a familiar place caught his eye.He saw the mansion, on top of the hill, where they had spent so much time, where so many things had happened to them, where she had saved his life shortly before he had walked out of hers.

"Just one last visit, my love, to lay the memories to rest before I join you." he whispered to her earth.He began the climb from the cemetery, up to the old house.

He had never sold the place.Cordelia had brought it up many times, to release capital for the business, but he never could let go.It was one of his few remaining Sunnydale connections.He needed it.So he had carried on paying the few bills that came through and put it to the back of his mind.

Now, here it was, looming in front of him, just a few short steps away.He wound his way out of the grounds of the graveyard and on to Crawford Street.He made his way to the top of the steps that led into the courtyard.The exact courtyard where they had fought, almost to the death, and later kissed once more as if their life had depended on it.He placed his foot on the first stone step, taking in the overgrown area beneath him.

He stood there for a moment before he noticed a strange light coming from inside.He took a step closer, thinking that maybe some homeless people or kids had moved into the place in its derelict state.Then his vampire senses alerted him to noises coming from inside…smashing, banging, crying and yelling.He rushed down the steps; someone was trespassing into their place, into their memories.

He ran across the courtyard and stopped dead at the French windows that lead into the main room.

He had left his sparse furniture and a few possessions in the mansion when he had gone, not wanting to have to spend any more time in Sunnydale, before leaving for LA, than was necessary.He had known that the more time he had spent in this town, even an extra minute, the more chance there would be that he would have upturned his decision and run back into her arms.

Now, he took in the scene before him.He saw his sofas and the coffee table, where she had placed the butcher's bags she brought him, when he was recovering from his return.He saw pottery that he had bought, smashed over the floor.A presentation case which had housed one of his favourite statues was decimated, shards of glass lying all around.A rug that had been in front of the hearth was lying near his feet torn in two.And standing in the middle of this chaos, was the one thing he could truly not believe.The one thing he had thought of constantly for the past half year.

She stood like a true angel in the middle of the room.Her golden hair tangled and matted with rain, across her face and down her shoulders.She was wearing a torn and muddy gown, which he remembered her wearing the night of the prom.Her beautiful face was creased with tears and pain.She was lost in her own misery and sorrow.

Angel couldn't move in the doorway.He had dreamt of this every night since he had heard the news, dreamt of seeing her again, walking across to her and taking her in his arms, but this couldn't be real.This must be another dream, he must have fallen asleep in the graveyard and this was his mind taking him on a journey.Or sunrise had come and he was dead, it was all over and this was heaven, or hell.

He watched, as she picked up a shard of glass and held it in her hand, slashing huge welts into her arms, causing blood to flow out and onto the stone floor beneath her.Unwittingly, mirroring an action Dawn had taken once when she had found out that she wasn't real.He knew he had to go and stop her, stop her damaging her beautiful form, from causing herself pain.At the moment he managed to make his feet move from the spot at the doorway where he was standing, a shrill ringing pierced the air.It took him a second to realise that the sound was his mobile phone, activated in his pocket.He silently cursed Cordelia and her efficiency, making him buy one of the damn things, so he could be contacted anytime.

The sound snapped Buffy out of her trance and she looked up and saw the figure in the doorway.

Before Angel could decide what to do first, whether to throw the phone far away or to just ignore it and go to her, she had decided for them.The phone was left ignored as she ran across the room and threw herself into his arms, her pain and misery forcing her to sink to the floor, her arms clasped around his waist.Her face buried into his stomach.Angel stood shocked for a second, but then the familiar sensation of having her near, returned.The smell of her hair, the feel of her small body.Within seconds he had dropped to the floor too, scooping her delicate body onto his lap.

As he sank to the stone, his soulmate in his arms, Angel's last thought was that this was the death he had always wished for, nothing more than an eternity in his beloved's arms.

They sat there for a few minutes, clinging, one to one another, and the hopes and dreams they represented.Angel practically smothering her in his arms, he held her so close.He reached down and lifted her face up to his.Gently he wiped a little of the mud and tears off her cheeks and looked into her eyes.

"I'm not worthy of this heaven." he said, and bent his head down to capture her lips in his.She responded slowly at first, gently. Exploratory.But then desperation began to sink in and her lips attacked his.She reached her arms up to lace them around his neck.

Angel began to notice a warm wet feeling across his face.The unmistakable smell of blood pierced his senses and it took all his willpower to stop his face from changing into its mask.He looked across and saw the deep wounds on Buffy's arms.

"Your arms! We need to do something."

He scooped Buffy up into his arms and carried her across the room to the sofa.He rested her down at one end and raced into the other room looking for some cloth.He found some old material that had been hanging as a decoration on the wall and tore it down.He brought it back to where Buffy was sitting and began tearing it up into strips.

She watched him, her eyes not registering what was going on.They kept flickering back to her blood stained arms.

"See, blood, I am real, I am Buffy…." she kept whispering to herself.

Angel picked up one of the makeshift bandages and began to wrap her arms in it to stop the bleeding.

"I knew they were lying, I knew they weren't my friends.I knew you wouldn't leave me."At this point she looked up into Angel's face.

He reached across and gently took hold of her bandaged arms.

"Buffy." he said gently, still not truly believing the sight before him.

"What's happening?Why are you here?Why did you do this to yourself?"

Buffy began to silently cry again.

"I don't know what's happening." she finally whispered.

"I just remember falling asleep finally, with all those voices in my head, and you were going to go and find a cure.Then I woke up, in a strange bed, and everyone was there, but you, but they were all different.And Spike was there."

Angel's face contorted into one of hatred and pain at the mention of the younger vampire's name.

"And I went to attack him and they all stopped me, then they told me that I had died and they had resurrected me, and then this young girl came in and everyone said she was my sister, but I don't have a sister.I know I don't, and then they said my Mom was dead, and that you had left me, so I ran out.I went to the cemetery to see if I could prove them wrong, but then I saw my Mom's grave and then mine and…I came up here."Buffy was beginning to get more and more hysterical.

"And I wanted to prove I was real, I wanted to see the blood flowing.But it just flowed, there wasn't any real pain and I can't hear my heart.And I don't understand, I don't understand anything."With that last statement, she burst into heavy tears once more.Angel reached over and bundled her in his arms, holding her as close to him as possible.She had returned, this wasn't heaven, hell or some dreamland.This was reality and she was back, it was almost too much for him to take in.But she needed him, he needed to find out exactly what had happened to her, what had gone wrong when they resurrected her.

"Hush, love.We'll make sense of all of this, I promise we will."

"Angel, you wouldn't lie to me would you?"

"No I wouldn't."

"Is my Mom really dead?"

"Yes, she is, she died about a year ago."

"Was I there with her, when she died?"

"No, you were the first to find her though."

"Do I really have a sister?"

"Yes, you do.Her name is Dawn and she's a lot like you."

"Why don't I remember her?"

"I'm not sure," Angel replied, thinking for a moment, trying to piece things together in his head.

"Buffy, how old are you?" he asked.

"18.Why?"

Angel nodded, things were becoming a little clearer.

"Dawn was an energy key, sent to you to be protected last year, in the form of a sister.The monks who made her, implanted memories into everyone, so that one day you woke up and just accepted her in your life."

"So why don't I remember?"

"I know this is very confusing for you, but I think what has happened is that when you were resurrected, they brought you back younger than you were when you died, two years younger in fact, before Dawn had ever been sent to you, so the memories were not there."

"I've lost two years?"

They both sat in silence for a moment.

"Angel, did you really leave me?"

Angel looked at his mate in his arms.He knew he'd never felt this complete since that Thanksgiving two years ago.

"I'm here now, and we're going to try and sort this all out."

He kissed her gently and she moved her body down and rested her head on his shoulder.He lay there, stroking her hair until she fell into a deep sleep.

It was early morning outside when he got up off the sofa, as quietly as he could, trying not to disturb her.He picked his duster up off the floor, where it had been left last night and pulled his cell phone out of the pocket.He walked into the other room; just standing in the doorway so he could see her if she woke up.

He dialled a familiar number and listened to the rings.

"Giles?I think I might have found something that you are looking for."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[Feedback (come on, please, let me know if you're enjoying it!)][1]

[Chapter 5][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: breakingwalls5.htm



	5. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 5

"Angel

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 5 - 5/12 - Rated PG - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's.But if they were mine I give them to Duck's for safekeeping J  
PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Come on, give me some help here, do you like it?   
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie and Mark my Beta readers and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines

"Angel?" Giles asked, curiously.

"Is Buffy with you?"

"Yes, she's here, Giles."

"In Los Angeles?"

"No, I found her at the mansion."

"The mansion?"Giles replied, confused at this strange turn of events.

"I think you need to come over." Angel said, trying to keep the conversation as brief as possible.He thought he could see Buffy beginning to stir in the other room.

"Yes, of course, straight away."Giles hung up the phone.

Angel went back into the lounge where, thankfully, she was still asleep on the couch.He'd found some blankets to cover them with and she lay there now, a peaceful look on her face.Gently, he sat at the end of the sofa and just watched her.Breathing in and out, even though she didn't need to anymore.Watching her like this reminded him of the many times he had watched her sleeping over the years.The nights he sat outside her window after they had patrolled together, needing to be close to her, unable to return to his quiet apartment, making sure she was all right, before the daylight arrived once more, to protect her.He remembered the night when he had been human, when she had slept in his arms at the apartment in LA.Although his body desperately longed for sleep that night, his eyes would not close; they were mesmerised by the beautiful body lying in the bed next to him.Watching her now, she looked so innocent, untouched by evil or duty.He reached out a hand and brushed a stray lock of hair away that had fallen across her face.She responded, in her slumber, with a slight murmur and turned her cheek, so his hand caressed the side of her face.He sat there, hypnotised by the movement.It was only the polite cough from the doorway that made him look round.

"Giles." he said, walking over to where the Englishman stood in the French windows.

"Please, come in."The irony of the vampire inviting the Watcher into his home was not lost on either of them.

Angel led the older man into one of the rooms just off the living room where Buffy slept.Giles followed him, his eyes barely leaving the sleeping form of the slayer until it was impossible to see her any longer.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's very upset, and incredibly confused.As am I."

"I think we all are confused over this situation." Giles replied.

"How's Dawn?" Angel asked.

"She isn't taking this very well at all.It's like losing Buffy all over again."

Angel nodded.

"How did you find her?" Giles asked.Angel saw the unspoken question in the Watcher's eyes 'And what are you doing in Sunnydale?'

"I came back last night, to say goodbye, for the last time.I went to the cemetery, while I was there, I thought I should come here and have one last look.When I came in, Buffy was already here."

"We should have known," Giles chastised himself, "she went to the cemetery."

"She saw the gravestones and she'd been to the house as well.It confirmed everything you had told her, but she couldn't remember, and she didn't know what to do."

"So she came here." Giles completed.

"What happened Giles?"

"Willow cast a resurrection spell, but she failed to complete it, she assumed it was unsuccessful.However, Xander then found Buffy unconscious at the site where she died about a month ago.A spell was cast two nights ago to try and return her soul to her body and when she awoke, she was in this confused state."

"She's 18 again."

"That's it!" Giles exclaimed."Willow said that a part of the spell consisted of her counting Buffy's living years, she had only reached 18 when the spell was destroyed.Buffy must have been resurrected at that age!"

"Is there any way of fixing this?"

"I'm not sure, I'll have to see if I can find a book on it."

"Then be sure," Angel said, angrily, "she's in too much pain like this.She can't go on."

"We all care for her Angel!And we'll do whatever we can to help her!"

"I'm sorry Giles.I just can't bear to see her in so much pain.I never expected this to happen."

"None of us did."

The quiet understanding between the two men was abruptly shattered with an anguished cry from the other room.

"Angel?"

The vampire ran into the lounge.Buffy was sitting up on the couch; looking around the room, fear in her eyes.Angel raced over to where she was.

"Buffy?What's wrong?"

"I woke up, I didn't know where you were." she answered, fear in her voice.

"I'm right here, I promise."

He wrapped his arms around her and she clung to him, unwilling to let go.Over his shoulder, however, she caught sight of Giles, standing in the doorway.

"Hello." she said, cautiously.

"Buffy, we're going to do everything we can to put things right.I won't rest until I find some sort of cure for this."Giles said, solemnly.

"Thank you," she whispered, still clinging to Angel.

Angel turned to her once more.

"I'm just going to see Giles out, then I'll be back."

He got up, out of her embrace, and walked over to the Englishman.

"The sooner we can work this out the better." he said.

"I'll get on to it straight away." Giles replied.

"I'll call Wesley in LA and see if he can come up with anything."

Giles nodded and looked over to where Buffy sat on the sofa, staring into space. 

"I'll look after her, Giles, no harm will come to her."

"That would be appreciated."Giles said and he walked out of the mansion.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Giles opened the door to his apartment to be met with the worried faces of Willow and Xander.

"Giles, have you found her?" Willow asked, anxiously.

"Yes, she's at the mansion."

"The mansion?" Xander asked.

"Angel…Angel is with her."

"Fantastic, we go to all the trouble of bringing her back and Peaches comes swooping along and takes all the credit." Spike appeared from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Spike." Giles said."At the moment, she is in a terrible state.Angel appears to be the only person she feels comfortable with."

"What can we do, Giles?"Willow asked.

"Well, it seems the resurrection spell brought Buffy back, at age 18, about the time she was contaminated by the demon blood.We need to try and restore her fully.There may be a ritual somewhere which can help us."

"Book patrol reporting for duty."Xander said, saluting to Giles.

"Any help we can get is essential."Giles said."How is Dawn?"

"The same." Willow said. "She's just staring at the walls in her room.Tara is with her, but she won't talk."

"I don't think I need to emphasis this, but time is of the essence here, the sooner we can restore Buffy back to full capacity, the better."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Angel picked up his cell phone and called the office number.It only rang once, before being picked up.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless… is that you Angel?" Cordelia babbled, on the other end.

"Hi, Cordelia."

"Hi?Hi?Don't you give me hi!Have you any idea how worried we've been, running off into the night like that, leaving poor Fred all alone and then ignoring my calls?!You'd better have a good explanation for this and it had better not begin with Darla."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, by the way.I'm in Sunnydale."

Angel waited a moment for this to register with Cordelia.

"Sunnydale?Why couldn't you tell us that you were going there?We would have come with you."

"Cordy, this was something I needed to do on my own, I just needed a bit of time."

"Are you coming back today?"

"Well, I think I might be staying on here a little while, there's a bit of a situation." 

"What?What's going on?"

Angel saw Buffy watching him from the couch.

"I can't really explain now, but I promise I will. Could you put Wesley on for me?"

"Fine."Cordelia huffed into the phone and shouted Wesley over.

"Angel?Is everything alright?"

"Wesley, I need you to try and track a ritual or spell down for me, if you can.We're looking for something that can restore memory that has been lost, magically.Do you think you might be able to find something?"

"Of course, we'll try our best."

"Thank you Wesley."

"Angel, is everything all right?"

Angel looked over in the room at Buffy's hunched form.

"It will be." he said, and added in his own head, 'It has to be."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Angel felt helpless as he paced around the mansion that afternoon.Buffy was asleep once more, the trauma of the past 24 hours taking their toll.He hated seeing her like this, knowing that, for the moment, there was nothing they could do to help her.She had been awake for a short time after he had finished talking to Wesley, but the pain of not remembering key moments in her life had been too much.He had managed to get her to drink a little tea, but that had been all.His quick exit from Sunnydale after the Graduation had brought the blessing that there were still some basic necessities left in the house such as tea and sugar, unfortunately, fresh milk had been absent, but he doubted she had noticed.He had managed to find her some old clothes of his to wear, a pair of dark trousers he used to do Thai-Chi in and a silk shirt that had been left behind in his old wardrobe.She had put them on, discarding the pink dress, not remembering its significance in her life.The clothes had drowned her, making her look like a little girl again.They had been on the couch, Buffy leaning against Angel, curving into his body, just taking comfort in one another's presence, and then she had fallen asleep against his chest again.He sat there, with her lying across him, for hours. 

He had kept in contact with both Giles and Wesley.He felt as if he should be helping in some way, trying to find a cure for all of this, trying to help her more.He had wanted to go to Giles' and assist in some way, but that would have meant taking Buffy with him and both men had agreed that it would only distress both Buffy and Dawn further to be in the same room, until something could be worked out.

So he sat there, watching her as she slept.It was difficult to conceive, here in his arms was Buffy. Her body showing the scars of her 20 years, yet her soul was still that of the young schoolgirl, still tainted by her calling and the atrocities she had already seen.But, yet, to face the life changing events that her body had, the events that had matured her into the Buffy he had been with on the night of her mother's funeral.

Now, he had quietly removed himself from the couch and was continuing his journey around the room.Dusk was beginning to fall outside, he could feel his weary senses trying to sharpen and come alive.He walked over to the window and looked out into the coming night.His eyes swept across the landscape before him, the twilight beginning to bring the shadows into focus.As his viewed the vista before him, some part of his senses kicked in.There was something out there, something not right, something that was evil.It was nothing he could put his finger on, just an overwhelming sense of badness.He looked back at Buffy's sleeping form.The sooner they could get the Slayer back into action the better.

The shrill ring of his phone broke his thoughts, once again.

"Angel, it's Wesley.I think I've found something."

"Go on."

"Its an ancient ritual I found in the Books of the Lost.Thousands of years ago, there was a mighty war waged between two powerful armies, and there was a sect called the "Lost Soldiers".It appears that a spell was used, by one side, to wipe the memories of some of the enemy soldiers, so that they could be tricked into changing sides.The ritual was created to restore the soldiers back to the side of good."

"Can you fax the relevant pages to Giles?" Angel asked.

"The spell is very complex Angel, its also very powerful and requires a large number of casters.May I suggest that we bring the spell to Sunnydale tonight?"

"I can't expect you all to come here, not knowing what is going on."Angel replied.

"Whatever you are doing Angel, is it important to you?"

"Yes." 

"Then we will be there before midnight."

Angel put the mobile phone back into his pocket and walked over to where Buffy was sleeping.He crouched down next to her and gently stroked her face.

"Buffy?" he whispered.

She slowly opened her eyes, and he was faced, once more, with those deep pools of green that he knew he could get lost in.

"We have to go."

"Go where?" she asked.

"We have to go see Giles.We've found something."

"A cure?"

"I hope so."

Angel watched her get to her feet and was gladdened to see a familiar resolve set in her face.They made their way out of the mansion and across the cemetery, to where Angel had left his car the night before.He reached into the back and produced a blanket to wipe the seats down, silently cursing the rain from the previous night.

"I can't believe you own a car like this!" Buffy said, as they set off.

Angel looked over, and for the first time since he'd found her in the mansion, he saw the beginning of a smile on her face.

"What do you mean?I like this car."

"It's the kind of car that Giles would pick."

"It's a classic, thank you."

"That's code for slow, isn't it?I have a severe problem with the taste of all the important men in my life." Buffy decided.

Angel noted the word 'important' in that sentence.However, all too quickly, the mood turned dark, once more, as they pulled up outside Giles's apartment block.

"Who's going to be there?" Buffy asked, as they sat in the car.

"Well, Giles, Willow and Xander.Much as it pains me, I think Spike will be there, Dawn will be as well.Some other friends of yours and some friends of mine are coming from Los Angeles with the book."

"Friends from Los Angeles?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn and Fred I think."

"Cordelia?She's with you in Los Angeles?"

"Yes, she works for, well with me…"

"Cordelia gets to be with you and I don't?"

"Buffy, it's not like that."

"Do you love her?" Buffy asked in a small voice.

"As a friend, yes, but there is nothing between Cordelia and I, nor with anyone else."Angel said, trying to reassure, without confusing her too much.

"What did I do wrong?What did I do to make you leave?" Buffy asked, tears in her eyes.

Angel took a deep breath, unnecessary but involuntary, tears were pricking at the back of his own eyes in response to the question before him.

"You didn't do anything wrong.I just couldn't give you what I thought you needed."

"Which was?"

"A normal life."

"So you just left?"

Angel turned to face her taking her small, cold hands into his large ones.

"Buffy, if I had the chance again, I would never leave you." he paused for a moment before adding, "We'd better go inside.Are you ready?"

"Do you love me?"

"I've never stopped and I always will."

She leaned over the seat and gently pressed her lips against his, tenderly searching his mouth with her tongue.He responded in kind and crushed her small body against his.She pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Then I'm ready."

He got out of the car and opened her door for her.She reached out to him and he helped her out, and then, hand in hand, they headed towards the apartment.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hours passed uncomfortably in the apartment.After they had arrived, the group of friends sat around like strangers, no one sure what to say.Dawn had huddled in one corner talking to Spike, Buffy sat by Angel's side.Angel had repressed the desire to go over to the younger vampire and beat him senseless, knowing, for the moment, he had to stay focused on Buffy and help her through this.Spike was looking after Dawn, after all, although that didn't make Angel warm to him anymore.Tara had stayed close to Dawn, with Willow next to her.Xander and Anya had taken the sofa and Giles was in an armchair.

Very little had been said between the different groups since Angel and Buffy had walked in.Buffy had asked a few questions about the ritual, but Giles didn't have many answers until Wesley arrived.She had finally gone into one of the other rooms with Angel, to prepare herself for the ritual.

Angel came out of the room, briefly, while Buffy was having a rest.He took the opportunity, while Spike was getting some beer, to go and speak to Dawn.

He sat down on the floor next to her.

"Hi Angel." the young girl said.

"Hi, Dawn.How are you?"

"Not brilliant." she said, emphasising the point by sniffing.

"I can understand that."

"Is Buffy OK?"

"She's as well as can be expected, but very confused."

"I'm glad you're here."Dawn said, giving him a small smile.

"So am I."Angel replied.

"Things always seem better when you're around.Will this spell work?" she asked.

"I hope so."

"I just want her back, Angel, it's too hard without her." she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing quietly.

He gently stroked her back as she cried into his chest.

"I know." he whispered.

Around midnight, the welcome knock on the door came and Giles opened it to greet Wesley and Cordelia and two unfamiliar faces.

Angel came over to where his friends were.Cordelia immediately embraced him in a hug and Wesley placed a hand on his shoulder, just to let him know that they were there for him.

Angel turned to face the Sunnydale gang once more and began introductions.

"Everyone, here are Wesley and Cordelia, who most of you know, and with them, Gunn and Fred.

"That's a girl!" Anya exclaimed, "but with a boy's name."

Xander tried to quiet her, as Fred blushed bright red at the attention.

"It's, it's short for Winifred," she almost whispered.

"Thank you all for coming." Giles said.

He briefly introduced everyone in the room, for the benefit of the Los Angeles group.Fortunately, it seemed that the monk's spell, regarding Dawn, had ventured as far as Cordelia and Wesley, so they didn't think anything was amiss.

"Have you got the book Wesley?"

"Yes, it's here, maybe you'd better fill us in, so to speak."

Before Angel could begin to explain what had happened, a small voice came from the doorway.

"Is it time?"

Wesley, Cordelia, Gunn and Fred all turned to look at the new arrival.

"You brought her back!" Cordelia cried, "You brought her back and didn't tell us, it's like Darla all over again."

"It's nothing like that, Cordy." Angel said, "I didn't bring Buffy back, I just found her, last night.I'd come back to visit her grave."

"I brought her back." Willow's voice came from the centre of the room.

"This is what you need the spell for." Wesley concluded.

"Yes, for some reason, Giles will explain, Buffy has been restored to age18, we need to bring all the other memories back."

Giles took Wesley over to the kitchen area and the two Englishmen started talking animatedly about the ritual.

Spike was sent to the Magic Shop with Anya and Tara to get the supplies needed for the spell, leaving Willow and Xander with Dawn.

Cordelia went over and sat with them.

"Hi Cordelia." Willow began.

"Hi Cordy."

"So, what's been happening in good ol' Sunnydale, then?" she asked.

"The usual," Xander replied, "killing demons, averting the apocalypse, resurrecting old friends.It never changes, does it?"

"Are things all right with you, Willow?"

"Everything's great, thanks, Tara and I are getting along really well."

"That's good." Cordelia looked at the floor, as silence came over them all once more.

"Oh, Xander has some news." Willow said, looking pointedly at Xander.

"I do?Oh, yeah, Anya and I are engaged."

Cordelia looked shocked for a moment.

"Congratulations," she said, a false smile across her face, "you two make a nice couple."

"Thanks, Cordy!So how's the glamorous life in LA?I'll bet you're wowing them all at those Hollywood events."

"Events, me?Oh yeah, of course, parties every night, I can barely keep up with it all.So many men to date, so little time."She added a little laugh onto the end and hoped her acting skills had convinced them.She got up and walked over to Angel.

"Stake me now!" she requested.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm 20 years old and I have no life.I used to be Cordelia, Queen of Sunnydale High, beating the men off with a stick.Now look at me. I think sweat pants are a good idea for daywear; I don't meet any men because I work all night and sleep all day.I share my house with a poltergeist and if I did get to go on a date, I'd scare the living hell out of any man, when I suddenly collapsed on the floor with a mind-blowing vision.Oh yeah, and I forgot, the one time I did get a date I ended up pregnant with a litter of demon babies.Yeah, I've changed since high school.I was going to be a famous actress!I'm that un-practiced in my acting skills now, that I could only get a job on Spelling's new soap!"

"Heard about Xander and Anya then?" Angel hazarded a guess.

"I mean, I was the popular one.It's my right to move on first, he's not supposed to be able to replace me just like that, and with a demon!"

"Ex-demon."Angel corrected.

"Yeah, like that matters."

Cordelia slumped against the wall, sulking.

Angel turned to where Buffy was trying to make polite conversation with Gunn and Fred, however, none of them were very talkative and he could tell that Buffy was getting anxious.He walked over to where she was standing and put his hand on her shoulders; she sank back into his body and looked up at him.

"Is it time?"

"Nearly."

He could hear the sound of Spike and the girls returning with the ingredients.

They came in through the door and the group reassembled, as a whole, in the lounge, with Wesley and Giles at the head.

"We need the strong casters to form a circle.That will be myself, Wesley, Willow, Tara and Anya as the five needed.The rest of you will form an outer circle of concentration, to bring more power into the spell."Giles looked up to his Slayer."Buffy, are you ready?"

She turned to Angel.

"Whatever happens, remember that I love you." she whispered.

He squeezed her hand gently, "I love you too."

"I'm ready."

She walked into the middle of the room and sat on the floor.The five casters sat around her and the outer circle formed behind them.Dawn was on the outer edge, with Spike on one side and Angel on the other, Angel had Cordelia next to him, which he appreciated.Gunn and Fred found themselves between Spike and Xander.The inner circle began the preparations for the ritual.Buffy sat silently, never taking her eyes from Angel's, and he did the same.

Giles began by daubing blood on Buffy's head, to signify the loss of life in battle, and then he mixed in a black powder said to be the ashes of the phoenix that arose from the flames.Elephant tusk and various herbs were ground in a pestle by Willow, who then set them on fire to produce a greenish, acrid smelling smoke in the air.Then the central circle began to chant.

_Volere, cerchiamo il seguente _

_restore le memorie in questo corpo _

_le memorie che sono state _

_perso noi possono disposte e _

_e diamo questi regali voi[[1]][2]_

They chanted this over and over again, the words coming from five different mouths and in five different pitches, but they sounded like one.The outside circle closed their eyes and began to concentrate the magic.Angel was the last one to join in; his final view was of Buffy staring at him, her eyes not registering, a green cloud swirling around her beautiful blonde hair.He closed his eyes and prayed to any god that existed, to bring her through this, to bring Buffy back to them.

Buffy sat in the centre of the circle, her mind totally blank, she was beginning to think that this was all just a light show that it wasn't going to work, when images began to flash in her mind, slowly at first.The fight in the sewers, the prom, the last dance with Angel, graduation, college, Thanksgiving, the Initiative, Riley, Maggie, Faith, Adam, the first Slayer, images faster and faster now, almost too hard to differentiate...Dawn, her Mom sick, Riley leaving, Glory, her Mom dying, then the tower, the fall...too many images, too fast, too much to process.Tears streamed down her face as the emotions ran through her like a steam train.Everything she had experienced in two years condensed into five minutes, all the happiness, pain, anger and heartache in one big blow.It was too much for her; she pushed her hands against the side of her head, trying to squeeze the images out of her head.She screamed out in anguish and collapsed to the floor.

The room broke out into chaos; everyone's eyes were wide open at this point.At least five people were rushing to Buffy's side, but Angel, who seemed to have materialised by her side, beat all of them, he was there that quick.Her head was resting on his lap and he was gently stroking her face.Dawn was crouched by his side, her face holding a stunned expression.Giles was standing above them, with Spike and Willow flanking Dawn.Xander found himself standing just off from this group, one hand holding on to Anya and one holding on to Tara, it was an unconscious thing, he'd just needed to feel real people on both side of him.The LA gang had moved off to one side, but not too far from Angel.

"Do something, please!"Dawn was screaming at Angel."Wake her up, please Angel, please, she can't die again."

Angel put his free arm around the young girl as he stared down into the face of his soulmate.She seemed so peaceful and calm just lying there, like she was asleep.He could hear Willow sobbing above his head, murmuring about it all being her fault, but to him, it seemed like they were all in another place and all that existed in this place and time was Buffy.

He caressed her cheek, once more, and was stunned when she moved her head slightly, just as she had done in the mansion when she was asleep.He stroked his thumb down the edge of her eye and her lids slowly opened until he was looking into those vast pools of hazel.She opened her delicate lips and began to speak.

"An angel, boy, I really died this time!"Then she looked around the room and saw everyone else standing around her.

"Geez, crowd the casualty why don't you?"

She barely sat up when Dawn threw herself around her neck.

"Dawn!" she cried, in response, and hugged her little sister to her body, both crying tears of joy.

"You came back, you really did!" the young girl was saying.

Angel's hand had fallen from her face when she sat up and he stepped back towards the LA gang, behind her.Cordelia welcomed him, with a hand gently on his arm, and they watched the reunion scene unfold.

Giles walked up to where Buffy and Dawn were crumpled on the floor and after a moment's hesitation clasped his arms round both girls.After a moment he sat back and looked at the Slayer.

"How old are you Buffy?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm 20 aren't I?"

Giles nodded, a smile on his face.

"And what can you remember from before you woke up just now?"

"Not much from immediately before, a little hazy and very confused."

"Do you remember Glory?"

"Definitely, did I get a 10 for that dive off the tower?"

Everyone around the room looked slightly relieved at the answers she gave and the fact that she seemed to be back to 'Buffy standard'.

Xander walked over to her, next, and pulled her to her feet, he clasped her round the waist and spun her round in the air.

"Buffster!You're back."

Buffy squealed slightly, in reaction to the spinning, but when Xander put her back down she had a huge smile on her face.Anya walked over to her.

"I like you better alive than dead, now I can have my spare bedroom back."

"And thank you, Anya."Buffy said.

Spike ventured over, next, and threw his arms around her shoulders.

"Spike, I swear I'll stake you if you try to cop a feel."

"Slayer, would I?"Spike said, glaring across the room at where Angel was stood staring at Buffy's back.Any opportunity to upset his Sire he'd use to its full potential.

Spike finally let her go and Dawn took his place by her side again, however, Buffy was looking over to where Willow sat on the sofa with Tara.She was leaning heavily on Tara, tears streaming down.Buffy walked over and crouched down in front of her.

"Hey come on, Will, I'm OK, I'm back, isn't it supposed to be a happy occasion."

Willow looked up at her, her eyes all bloodshot.

"But I'm the one who did it, I'm the one who brought you back.This is all my fault, all this trouble and confusion."

Buffy took hold of her hand.

"Will, I love you, you're my best friend and you did what you thought was right.And I do hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think that all this was you.I was called before The Powers That Be, when I was, you know, up there, and they asked me to come back.They said they were going to give a little heavenly assistance to one of your spells.So it's OK, I wanted to come back, you did the best thing for me."

She hugged her best friend tightly.Then she looked up towards Tara.

"I hope you looked after her for me."She said to the shy witch.

Tara nodded.

"Thank you."Buffy said.

"So the Powers were involved in your return?"Giles asked.

"Yeah, they had that old 'end of the line' problem.Rogue slayer, no replacement, so they thought I fit the job description quite well."

"They can't help, but meddle, can they?They could have at least sent a vision."

Cordelia's comment made Buffy spin round until she was facing the LA gang.The look on her face told them, that in all the confusion, she had forgotten that they had come.

"Angel?I thought I was dreaming when I saw you."

"We came to help with the spell."he said, by way of explanation.He could tell, by her eyes, that she couldn't really remember much of the past day or so.

She walked over to where they stood.Cordelia hugged her first and then she was passed on to Fred, who nervously welcomed her back and then Gunn.Wesley hemmed and hawed a little, but then, grasped her in a hug.

"Thank you, even though I don't entirely know who you all are.But thank you for all your help and your support."

Then, before she knew it, she was standing in front of him, looking up into those dark chocolate eyes.

"Angel" she whispered.

"Welcome back." he said and he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her small body.She sunk into his embrace and her body warmed to his as he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.She looked up into his eyes.

"My head feels kinda fuzzy," she explained, "I get the feeling we need to talk, but I'm not quite sure what's happened yet."

Angel's kind, understanding eyes stared back down at her.

"Can you give me a bit of time to sort of this out?Get things clear in my head?" she asked.

"Take whatever time you need," Angel told her, "I'll be waiting."

"I think Dawn needs you more than anyone at the moment," he continued.

Buffy nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Thank you.I'll come to see you before sunset tomorrow.I promise.Where will you be?"

"The mansion." Angel replied. 

Buffy pulled him close once more; knowing in her heart it was the right thing to do.Then she let go and was pulled into the circle of her family once more.Angel stood there for a moment, at a loss without the feel of her body close to his.

Wesley spoke out. 

"Giles?Would it be better if we were to patrol Sunnydale for you tonight?Give you all some time to sort things out."

"Thank you Wesley, that would be appreciated."

Wesley nodded and herded the LA gang towards the door, Cordelia practically dragging Angel, with his eyes kept firmly on Buffy.She, in turn, watched him from her position in the centre of the room until the door closed behind him.

However, she was soon overcome by her family, all of whom wanted to hug her, or touch her, or talk to her, or ask her some question.

"OK, stop with the Buffy petting." she said, laughing."Can we sit down, and then, maybe, I can start piecing all of this together a little."

They all sat down in Giles' lounge.Dawn stuck close to Buffy's side, Willow and Tara sat together on an armchair, Xander and Anya mirroring their position on the opposite chair and Giles stood in front of the mantelpiece.

"So, anyone want to fill me in on what's happened since I was brought back?'Cause I have to say, all a bit fuzzy for me." Buffy said.

Spike loitered in the kitchen for a moment.He wanted to sit there with them all, to add in the sarcastic comments and the little snipes and generally just be in the area where she was, but he had another pressing engagement.He took one look at the group in the lounge and crept quietly out of the front door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The LA gang was walking the streets of Sunnydale, Cordelia up front, giving Gunn and Fred a guided tour of her hometown.

"And that's my old high school," she said, pointing at the burnt out building."God, those were good years, you know, apart from it being on the Hellmouth and all…"

Angel walked slowly at the back, Wesley by his side.He was concentrating on trying to tune Cordelia out; he had enough racing through his mind at the moment without bringing back even more old memories.

"Penny for them?"Wesley said, cautiously.

"What?Oh." said Angel."Just got a few things on my mind."

"May I hazard a guess that they all involve Buffy?"

"It's just, I thought I knew what was going on, what we wanted, but that was yesterday.She was 18-year-old Buffy and none of the past two years had happened.We were still hopelessly in love with one another."

"And now?"

"She has an entire life here without me."

"Do you love her?"

"Without question."

"Then you have to do what feels right."

Angel looked at his friend for a second, but a shadow in the alleyway near the school caught his eye.He moved over closer and reached out an arm.

"Oh look, I caught a Spike," he growled.

"Hey, Peaches, wanna try putting me down, you're half strangling me here."

"And?"

"And I'm no bloody good to you dead."

"Give me one good reason why?" Angel replied.

"Buffy."

The sound of her name made Angel drop his catch for the moment, but his body tensed ready to jump again at a second's notice.

"What about Buffy."

"Well, you know, I guessed you'd be out here, brooding over the tragic love affair that is the two of you, so I thought I'd give you some friendly advice."

"I don't need advice off you."

"No, course not, its just, you see, where have you been for the past two years?'Cause me; I've been by the Slayer's side, day after day, week after week.I've seen her cry over you mate, seen her go all dark and broody every now and again, thinking of you."

"Where's this heading, Spike, because I'm losing my patience."

"There's no place for you in her life anymore, Peaches.I'm the all the vampire she needs and she's got friends around her to take care of her.She doesn't need you."

"That's for her to decide."

"What, you think she still pines after you, still loves you?Let me tell you something mate, just because she's given you the 'Riley left 'cause I didn't love him enough story', and sniffled into your shoulder after her Mom died, doesn't mean she wants you back."

"Riley did leave her, I believe her."

"Oh yeah, he did leave her, but did she mention that she ran screaming after him?Or that she cried for two days after he left?"Spike grinned in the moonlight."Face it, Sire, a few whispered platitudes yesterday don't mean jack.She thought she was 18, that the world revolved around you.She's grown up again now, she's found her life again and you're not in it."

Angel swung round and landed a punch on Spike's jaw that knocked the younger vampire on the ground.

"You can't dust me, Peaches, I'm you're substitute, I'm one of the Scoobies.How would you explain that to our little Slayer."

Angel glared at his offspring on the ground.He took a quick glance about the alley and then picked the skinny body of Spike up and dropped the kicking and yelling vampire into the nearest dumpster.

"I can't kill you, but I'll make damn sure you don't go near her for a while." he muttered under his breath.

He turned around and walked off down the street, shortly followed by the rest of his friends.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Spike waited until he heard their footsteps die away and then he climbed out of the metal container.He had to admit, Angel had picked wisely, a dumpster full of rubbish from the fish restaurant nearby.But in spite of the mess he looked, and the way he smelt, Spike smiled to himself.It might not have done a lot of good, goading Angel like that, but he had the feeling that it had set the tiniest bit of doubt into his mind.With any luck, the big poof would up and leave before Buffy even had chance to speak to him, and then everything would be back to normal again.

END OF CHAPTER 5

[Feedback (how will I know if people want me to carry on if you don't give me some feedback!)][1]

[Chapter 6][3]

  


[[1]][4] We the willing, seek the following

Restore the memories into this body

The memories that have been lost

We are willing and able and give these gifts to you

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: #_ftn1
   [3]: breakingwalls6.htm
   [4]: #_ftnref1



	6. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 6

Breaking down the Walls, Chapter 6

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 6 - 6/12 - Rated R-13 - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's.But if they were mine I give them to Duck's for safekeeping J  
PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Come on, give me some help here, do you like it?   
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie and Mark my Beta readers and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines, and finally to the great UK programme Hearts and Bones for a few inspriational lines :)

A few hours later, the Scooby gang was still in Giles' living room, endless empty cups were scattered along the floor.Dawn was asleep, curled up against Buffy, on the sofa.Anya had fallen asleep on the floor, with Xander holding her.Willow and Tara were in the same condition on the armchair, which left only Buffy and Giles awake.They had talked through everything during the night; the death, everything that had happened in the past few months while Buffy had been away, how she had been brought back, the coma, and then the past couple of days.Willow had explained to her, as much as she could, how Angel had helped her and supported her and Buffy was beginning to remember little bits of the past 48 hours.

Now it was just the two of them left awake.Slayer and Watcher.

"What happens now?"Buffy asked.

"In relation to what?"Giles replied.

"Well, everything I guess."

"I don't think we can answer those questions straight away, Buffy.I think we need some time to work some things out.It's not going to be easy.There is a gravestone with your name on it in the cemetery, that isn't going to be simple to explain.I think, for the moment, you need to try and stay away from people."

"All people?"Buffy asked.

"Obviously, we all know you are back.But I think you're going to have to keep a low profile in the town, for a while, at least.And we have to think of Dawn's situation in all of this."

"Giles, I think we both know that, for the moment, at least, it is best for Dawn if things stay as they are.That she stays here with you and you continue to be her guardian."

"If you think that is for the best."

"Definitely.It doesn't mean I won't see her all the time, its just I think she needs a father figure in her life.Ours won't win any 'Parent of the Year' awards.I love her so much, but I know she needs a parent, as well as a sister, not some combination of the two."

Giles nodded, understanding.

"And I need you too."Buffy began, tears welling up in her eyes. 

"You'll always have me, Buffy."Giles said, and reached over to take her hand.

"I'm not sure what's happening to me, the 'Powers' spoke of me being immortal, but I'm not sure what that entails."

"We'll begin to look into it when the others get up."Giles said.

"Thank you.For everything."Buffy said."Now how about we give up on the soap opera conversation and make some breakfast to get these guys up and about?"She said, and made her way to the kitchen.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

As dawn broke, the LA gang headed back to the Crawford Street mansion.Cordelia and Wesley had only been there once or twice, while Angel had lived in Sunnydale. Gunn and Fred were both seeing it for the first time.All four were awestruck at the imposing house.

"Wow man, I'm impressed, I mean the hotel and this?Talk about property magnet."Gunn said, on entering.

"There's so much potential here."Cordelia gushed."I mean, tidy up that courtyard, fix the fountain, clean up the French windows let a bit of light…ah right, well some nice colourful drapes, an open fire.You could make this quite a home."

"Buy it then, if you like it so much.It's going on the market."Angel snapped.

"You're selling it?"Wesley asked.

"What about Buffy?"Cordelia asked.

"What about her?"Angel said solemnly.

"Well, it's just, we thought you were going to try again."Wesley stammered out.

"She has her own life here.She doesn't need me in it anymore."

"So that's it, you're listening to what the 80's pop icon thinks now, are you?"Cordelia stormed, "Everything has to be so damn tragic with you two, can't you just have a bit of happiness?It is allowed you know."

"It's better this way." Angel replied.

"Do you love her?"

Angel gave them a look that told them it was a stupid question to ask.

"Then why is it better?"

"It just is, now pack everything up and we can head back to LA at sunset."

Angel stalked off further into the house and left his four friends standing there.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

It was almost sunset by the time Buffy arrived at the mansion.She walked down the steps to the courtyard she remembered so well.Images of times past flashed into her head; of laughing and giggling as they walked down the stairs, their arms 'round one another, of chaste kisses by the French doors as the sun came up, and then, as they got to know one another again, of more passionate kisses inside the walls.Buffy started to smile at the thought.Then she turned to stand at the French windows and the brief smile fell from her face.A few boxes were piled up in the lounge, Cordelia and Fred were on the floor, wrapping objects that had survived her destructive session the night before, and putting them in boxes.Wesley and Gunn were packing the books they had brought, into crates.

"You're leaving?" she said, quietly.

Angel came through the back door of the room, into the main lounge; he had his head down and some more books in his arms.

"You're leaving, without telling me?" she said again, a little louder this time.

"Buffy."Angel said, looking up at her.

"Again?" she shouted, this time.

Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn and Fred all jumped up.

"Angel, I think we'll go help Mr. Giles, help him with, erm, help him…" Wesley began.

"We'll just go help him."Cordelia finished, and she dragged the ex-Watcher out by his arm.As she passed by Buffy, she whispered,"You go, girl!"

Buffy walked into the now, almost empty, room and over towards Angel.

"Without even saying goodbye? Why?" she said, angrily.

"It's better this way."

"Better for who?'Cause from where I'm standing, we both lose out."

"We can't be together, it's that simple."

"It's not that simple!If there is one thing I have learned about our relationship, after all this time, is that it's never simple!You're not making the decision for us, Angel, not this time."

"Nothing has changed, Buffy."

"Everything's changed!We've both changed."

"You deserve more than me, you deserve a Riley in your life."

"I had one, now he's gone."

"Do you still love him?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Do you?"

"I never loved Riley like I love you."Buffy said, quietly."And he knew that, that's why he left."

"So why did you chase after him, why run after him?"Angel spat out.

"Who told you that?"Buffy asked.

Angel stood in front of her, in silence.

"Who told you?"Buffy yelled.

Again, nothing came from Angel's mouth.

"Who?"She screamed again.

All the pent up anger came through Buffy and she slapped him across the face.

Angel recoiled from the attack and put his hand up to touch his bleeding lip.

"Spike." he said, hoarsely.

"And you take what he says as fact now, do you?You listen to Spike?"

"He didn't say anything to me that I hadn't already thought."

"What do you think?Come on, Angel, fill me in."

"I don't know what to think, Buffy, two years have passed, you've moved on, like I asked you to, and you found someone else.Riley can give you everything I can't."

"From the moment you stepped out of my life, I was lost, I didn't know what to do, where to turn, and I admit, I made a few mistakes.But then Riley came along, he was safe, and he was nice, and genuinely cared about me.Everyone wanted me to be with him, and I guess a small part of me wanted it to, that white picket fence dream."

"That should be your life, Buffy."Angel's eyes looked more sorrowful.

"You don't get it, do you?For five or six moments, even in a perfect day with Riley, I'd look up, and there'd be a hole in the world, and it would be shaped like you.You left to give me everything you thought I needed, and I understood that, but the only thing I want, and the only thing I need…is you.I love you, Angel."

Tears were streaming down Buffy's face as she whispered the last words of her speech.

"I don't get what's changed, Angel.I watched you mourn, I watched you fall apart at the seams after I had gone, beg for another chance, or watch for the sunrise to come and take you to me.Yesterday, you held me so close and promised me you'd never leave me again, and now, here we are, in the same tired situation.I love you so much and I truly believe, that underneath whatever it is you have going on here, that you love me too.So I'm going to make it easy on you, simplify it all.I'm going to walk towards that door now, and I'm not going to look back, and if I get through without you telling me what's going on, then it's over.If you let me go, then let me walk out of your life.As far as you're concerned, I'm still dead and was never brought back.Just remember, that I loved you till the last possible moment, and I'll never love anyone as much as I love you."

She looked into his dark eyes one last time and turned on her heel.She started the long steady walk towards the doorway.

Angel stood in the middle of the room, watching her back, watching the only true love of his life walk away.Chanting a slow mantra to himself, 'It's all for the best, it's the best thing for both of you.'But the more he chanted inside his head, the more his soul screamed out to him, 'Don't make that mistake again, she's a part of you, don't lose that.'

Buffy's journey took her closer and closer to the door, the tears freely flowing down her ashen, white face.Each leaden step took her further and further away from her lover.She prayed to the gods that she had the strength to make it to the courtyard, but prayed also that he would stop her.

She reached the edge of the French windows and steeled herself to make that one last step.

"I love you." the whisper came across the room,"I love you so much, it's tearing me apart."

Buffy turned into the room once more, hardly believing she had heard the words she had been so desperate to hear.Angel was crumbled on the floor in the middle of the room, sobbing into his hands.

"We can't be together, Buffy."

Buffy ran over to where her lover had fallen.

"Of course we can, we can get through anything as long as we are together."

"Not this, not this we can't."

"I don't care about the normal life, the little house in the country.I'm never going to have a normal life again, hell, I don't even *have* a life.I'm not alive, Angel, I'm immortal, just like you.And I need you; I need you to help me, to be strong for me.All I can offer you is my love."

Angel looked up at the vision in front of him.This beautiful vision who had haunted his dreams and nightmares, since the first second he had seen her on the day she was called, so many years ago.His body ached to reach up and take her in his arms and crush those lips against his own.But he knew it would only take one kiss for him to drown in the depth of love they had for one another and he knew he couldn't do that.He had to explain how he felt, explain his reasons.

"I'm not worthy of your love." he called out to her.

She looked down at the crumpled figure on the floor below her, as he continued.

"I'm not the man you think I am.You don't know me anymore."

"Angel, I knew you the first time I looked into your eyes and the first time we kissed.I've seen you at your worst and at your best and loved you throughout."

"But you don't realise what I have done."

"Nothing you could have done could make me love you less."

Angel bowed his head, his tears splashing quietly on the concrete below.

"I was lost, I couldn't see the end of all the pain and all the hurt.I allowed my worst enemies to gain the advantage, wear me down until there was nothing left, nothing, but blackness and I took the easy option."

"Angel, these things happen, sometimes people get the better of us.Look at me, I didn't defeat Glory, I had to die to put things right."

"You sacrificed yourself to save others, Buffy, you gave your life to help the people you love.Me?I gave up, tried to give up my soul to stop the pain.To stop the emptiness and loneliness.I tried to unleash the demon because I was too weak to carry on.And you know what I did?You know how I tried to make my great sacrifice?I let the demon take control and I slept with Darla, I went against everything we had worked towards, every feeling and hope in my body and I buried my pain in her body, hoping to lose my soul.Am I worthy?Am I worthy of such a love as yours?"

He looked up at the girl who stood before him and willed her to walk away from him, willed her to walk away from the shell he had become, to go towards the light and a better life.

Buffy stood in silence above him, her mind trying to madly process the words she had heard.Then she looked down, into the deep pools of chocolate brown staring up at her, she looked deep into his eyes and saw pain behind them.

"Oh Angel, why didn't you come to me?Why didn't you just talk to me?" she said, and slid to the floor beside him, wrapping her small arms around his body.

"How could I?" he whispered, "How could I have come to you?I'd turned against everything we had ever stood for.Everything I'd promised I'd never become.And I thought you were happy, I thought you'd moved on in your life.You'd made your feelings perfectly clear when I saw you last, in Los Angeles, and then again in Sunnydale."

"I didn't mean any of the things I said then, I was trying to hurt you.It was petty of me, I know, but I hated the fact you didn't want me, and that you were helping Faith.I wanted to show you that I had moved on, that I didn't need you anymore, that I didn't think of you all the time.I was trying to fool myself that I was over you."

"You are better off without me."

"Angel, don't ever say that and don't you dare even think that!You understand me better than anyone in this godforsaken world; you're the only one who ever feels right to me.When my Mom died, so many people around me offered me support, offered me words of kindness.And I put on a front with them, a 'look at me, look at how well I'm coping'.Even with people like Willow and Giles.The only person I could turn to, the only person I needed was you.So I finally plucked up the courage to call you, after all that time, knowing that we hadn't exactly left things on a good note last time, and you came, immediately, to be by my side.You came straight to me, and you held me and stayed with me, and for the first time in a long time, I could be myself again.I could be the person I had locked inside the moment you walked out of my life.And I can never thank you enough for that.My last thoughts before I died were of you, and my first thoughts when I had the choice to return, were of you, and if you don't want to be with me, then I don't want to carry on."

"I love you with all my heart and my soul."Angel said, and interlaced his fingers with one of her small hands."But I have nothing to offer you.Being with me would sentence you to a life of darkness, to living by night, and…the curse still stands.Any moment of true happiness would bring the demon back again."

"Just being with you is enough.To know you are there at the end of every day.I can live without sex in my life, but I can't live without you, not anymore."

Angel lifted one of his hands up and traced the track of her tears down her cheek, his thumb gently brushed down her face and across the swell of her bottom lip.Her beautiful hazel eyes looked deep into his own and he knew he couldn't fight this anymore, knew he didn't want to.He had given her every reason to walk out of the door and never come back, pushed her away so many times and yet here she was, comforting him, loving him.He leaned his head in towards hers.

"There are no words to explain how much I love you.Nothing in my life has meaning, unless you are with me." he whispered to her beautiful face, and finally, he captured her sweet lips and claimed them as his own, and it felt like coming home.

Buffy felt his lips touch hers and her entire body spun out of control, like all the nerve endings were just waking up from a deep sleep.It had never been like this with Riley, never like this with anyone.No one could produce the sensations within her like this man could.She broke off from the kiss and looked into his eyes.Taking one of his hands in hers, she got to her feet and slowly began to lead him towards the bedroom in the mansion.As they got to the doorway, she breathed a small sigh of relief, that in his haste to leave this last time, Angel had left all the sheets here.However, he dropped her hand and held back as she started into the room.

"Buffy, we can't."

She walked back towards her lover and took his hand again.

"Angel, I just want to fall asleep in your arms and wake up with you holding me.I want to put the past two years of waking up without one another behind us.I just want to feel safe again."

She walked over to the bed and climbed in, pulling Angel along beside her.They lay side by side on the bed and their bodies instinctively curved into one another's.Buffy rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you so much, Buffy."Angel whispered into her hair.

"I know." she replied.

She reached her head up for another kiss and they were soon lost, once more, in a passionate embrace.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy awoke a few hours later and looked around the room.The heavy drapes on the windows didn't allow any sunlight in, so she had no idea of what time it was until she caught sight of an old clock on the wall.

"Lunchtime." she whispered to herself, as her stomach growled in anticipation.She gently lifted herself off the bed, being careful not to wake the sleeping vampire next to her and wandered out into the lounge.She investigated the area quickly and soon came across some fruit that Cordelia had, obviously, brought with her.She bit into an apple and started to make her way back to the bedroom.She stood in the doorway while she finished her apple and took in the sight before her.

Angel now lay on his stomach, one arm thrown across the pillow where, moments before, her head had rested.They had discarded his shirt at some point during the night, but he was still wearing his pants, which were, as she noticed, almost as crumpled as her own outfit was.She walked over closer to the bed and took in the sight of his bare back, the tattoo on his shoulder visible.Her pulse quickened at the joy of him lying there, almost naked, and so close she could just reach out and touch him.

As if sensing the sudden change in her heartbeat, he moved slightly, his arm grasping at the pillow, as if looking for something.His head turned 'round and his eyes opened sleepily, he looked across at the other side of the bed and, noticing it empty, sat up quickly, looking around the room.

"Hi." he said, sheepishly, seeing Buffy framed in the doorway.

"Hi yourself." she replied.He gestured for her to come over to him, and she did, and sank willingly back onto the bed and into his embrace.He pulled her tightly to him, kissing the top of her head.

"For a moment there, I thought this had all been a dream.I thought you were gone again." he said.

"I'm not the one with a degree in leaving." she quipped back, and then suddenly serious, looked into his eyes.

"Angel, you do want this, right?'Cause last night you were so set on leaving, so convinced we couldn't be together.I don't want you to feel pressured into this, feel like you have to stay with me just because I asked you to."The slight tremor in her voice gave away her pretence at strength.

"Buffy, when I allowed myself to have this moment, waking up with you, it's one I have thought of so many times over the past two years."

"Then why did you fight it so hard last night?"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for that, my love.There were so many things going 'round my head from the moment you returned.I just thought it best for both of us to go our separate ways. We've both changed so much, so many different things have happened to us since we were together.Part of me was terrified that you had found your place with Riley, even though it was me who pushed you into it.Those arguments we had in LA and at the University, they just all came back to me, the things we'd said to one another.The talk with Spike just made me think about everything even more.And I hate myself for what happened with Darla.I couldn't see how you could ever love me again, so I thought it best to leave, try and make a clean break of it again."

Buffy lifted her head up from his chest and kissed him deeply.

"Angel, I truly love you, with all my…well, what was, my heart.You're like the missing piece out of my jigsaw; my life just doesn't work without you.And nothing is going to come between us, I can promise that.I'll always love you, no matter what, forever."

She kissed him again and he returned the sentiment.But she broke off the kiss with a small giggle.

"What?" he asked her, a half smile playing across his face.

"I just hope you're not a commitment phobic.'Cause I think this is one of the first cases, when forever, actually does mean forever.Think you can cope with that?"

Angel went silent, looking seriously at the girl before him.

"Buffy, forever's a very long time…" he began.Her face dropped in front of him as she waited for the leaving speech yet again.

"But with you, I think I could stretch it to forever and a day." he said, watching her expression change from utter despair to indignation.She reached across and grabbed the pillow from her side of the bed and began beating him around the head.

"Just be glad I don't have a stake.You know, some changes from the past two years, I might actually not like very much."

Angel picked up his pillow and began retaliating against his love and soon the two pillows burst, raining feathers down upon their heads like confetti.Angel knelt on the bed and grasped Buffy's hand with his own.

"Truly, there is no one else in existence that I would rather spend eternity with." he said, and gently bent down and touched her lips with his own.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The shrill ringing of a mobile phone woke them, once more, at sunset.

"Turn off the alarm clock, just one more hour."Buffy mumbled in her sleep and turned over, snuggling deeper into Angel's arms.

Angel resisted the temptation to just ignore the damn thing, but moved one of his arms out from beneath her body to reach over to the nightstand.

"Angel." he said, his voice fuzzy from sleep.

"Angel, it's Wesley.Something's happened.Can you get to Giles' apartment whenever you can?"

"Course we'll…I'll be there as soon as possible."The line on the other end went dead.Angel put his phone back and pulled his other arm free.He sat up on the end of the bed and started to pull his top on.

"Come back to bed." Buffy whispered.

"I wish I could, but something's happened." he replied.

Buffy sat up and Angel had to stifle a laugh, as he saw her hair sticking up all over the place.Instead of laughing he gently smoothed it out with his hands.

"Thanks," she said,"what's going on?"

"Wesley just called, wants me to go to Giles' as soon as I can get there."

"It's not your birthday is it…surprise party?'Cause in my experiences those never go well."

"He sounded agitated, like something was wrong."

Buffy reached onto the floor where her coat had been dropped the night before.She fumbled around for a moment and produced her own mobile phone.

"Ah, code red, 911, over and out.So says my message.That's Xander-speak for get your butt back to Headquarters pronto."

"Looks like it's something important then.We'd better go."

Buffy stood up and tried to brush out the creases in her outfit.

"Angel, do I look OK?" she asked.

"Buffy, you look beautiful, rumpled, but beautiful." he said and reached out to take her hand.

"It's times like this when a girl needs a spare set of clothes available." she said, as they left the mansion.

They got into the car and began the journey to Giles' apartment, both noticing the strange feeling of déjà vu.

"It's like facing them, two nights ago, all over again."Buffy whispered.

"It'll be fine, let's just go and see what's happened.Then we'll cross the bridge, of telling them, when we come to it."Angel said, and reached over to squeeze her hand.

They travelled the rest of the way in companionable silence.

When they reached Giles' they parked the car outside and walked up the steps that lead to the courtyard beside his front door.They held hands briefly, but let go before they got to the door.Whatever was happening now needed their full attention, for the moment.They pushed open the door and were met with a scene of chaos.

Half-empty pizza and doughnut boxes littered every surface, with the obligatory Starbucks and empty teacups of a lengthy research session.Giles was hurriedly looking through some books on the table.Willow and Tara stood next to Dawn with Xander and Anya close by.Spike sat on the kitchen counter, a look of sheer amusement on his face.Fred and Gunn were trying to follow orders that Wesley was barking from his position, sitting on the floor.As Angel looked past Buffy he saw immediately what had happened and flew over to where Cordelia lay crumpled on the floor.Wesley moved aside to let him come through and he picked up Cordelia in his arms and put her on the settee.She was clutching her head and babbling incoherently to herself.

Dawn saw Buffy enter the room and flew into her arms.Buffy was thrown backwards a little, at the full force of her sister.

"Oh, Buffy, we don't know what happened, Cordy just suddenly screamed out and then collapsed, it was so scary."Dawn trembled in her sister's arms.

Buffy looked over to where Angel was quietly whispering comforting words to Cordelia and asking Gunn and Fred to bring him some water and a cool towel.Buffy watched how he carefully sat her up on the couch and fed her a little of the water.He held on to her hands as her eyes began to open.Now this was a side of Angel she had never seen before and one she would have to get used to.However, most important at the moment, was Cordelia.Angel gave her another sip of water and allowed her to collect herself a little.

"Cordy, what did you see?" he asked, all the signs pointing to her having had a vision.

Cordelia looked at Angel, fear in her eyes.

"Angel, it was all so dark, everything so dark.Something's out there, it's out there hunting.It's evil."

END OF CHAPTER 6

[Feedback (how will I know if people want me to carry on if you don't give me some feedback!)][1]

[Chapter 7 – coming soon][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/selwyn29



	7. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 7

Cordy let out a hoarse sob as another stabbing pain shot through here head

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 7 - 7/? - Rated R-13 - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's, I'm just making them feel better.PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Come on, give me some help here, do you like it?   
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie and Mark my Beta readers who I owe so much thanks to and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines.

Cordy let out a hoarse sob as another stabbing pain shot through her head.

Angel sat on the floor in front of the couch trying to calm her down.

"Cordy, please, I know it's bad.But can you tell us anything else?"

She concentrated for a second; the strain showing on her already tired face.

"It's here, it's in Sunnydale."

"What is?"

"This…this...thing.I don't know, I can't tell what it is; I can just feel it. Evil.It's like nothing we've ever faced before."

"What, like fluffy and harmless?"Spike jumped in with from the kitchen counter.

"Back off Spike."Angel yelled, and turned his attention back to Cordelia.

"Angel, you have to find it, you have to find it, promise me you will!"Cordelia said, her voice weak.

"We will." he said, and placed the cool towel on her forehead as she shut her eyes.

"Don't we need to call someone, a doctor, maybe?"Willow asked.

"It was a vision."Wesley explained."Cordelia was chosen to receive them from The Powers That Be, to guide Angel."

"And that's how they choose to guide him, by putting her through pain?"Xander yelled, agitated.

"Unfortunately, yes, but she won't give them up."

"There must be something we can do for her?"Giles asked.

"Rest is all she needs at the moment.That wasn't the worst she's had."Angel said, walking back over to where Buffy stood with Dawn.

"I need to go out there." he explained to her.

"I'm coming with you." she replied.

"It might be best if a few of us go."Wesley pointed out, from the center of the room."We have no idea what this thing could be, what we could be facing."

"Giles, can you start with the research?We'll call in when we find out anymore."Buffy asked him.

"Already started." he replied.

"I'm coming with you, Buffy."Dawn started.

"You're most certainly not, young lady."Giles said, in a voice so stern that everyone in the room straightened up that little bit more."It's a school night and you have to be up in the morning and you've been allowed to stay up late enough already."

Dawn looked up at Buffy, pleading with her.

"Don't look at me like that.I go with what Giles says, he's in charge."

"You're all so unfair.I'm not a little kid anymore."Dawn said, and stormed off upstairs.

"Wow, Giles!A full blown sulk, that must register somewhere on the new parent Richter scale."Xander commented.

"At least I know she's in safe hands."Buffy said, laughing at her Watcher."Right gang, lets get this patrol on the road.Willow, Tara, I think some magical help could be useful.Anya, you're the demon expert, I think you should come along.Xander?"

"I think I might sit this one out, Buff, hone up on my research skills a little."

Anya turned to her fiancée."You're not coming?"

"I'm just not in the mood for all that fighting stuff tonight."

"I'll stay too then."

"No honey, you go, a night out with the girls, it'll be fun.I'll stay here and keep Giles and the books company."

Anya looked upset, but resigned herself to the fact that Xander wasn't going to go.Buffy and her group made their way to the door.

Angel turned around to his friends.Wesley and Gunn were already, practically, by his side.Angel turned to Fred.

"I think you'd be very useful here, if you wouldn't mind?" he asked the timid girl."I think Giles might need some help with this and I need someone to keep an eye on Cordelia."

Fred nodded, and Angel, Wesley and Gunn made their way to the door to join Buffy and the rest.As he got to the door, Angel turned around to find Spike right behind him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he growled at the younger vampire.

"Where the Slayer goes, I go."Spike replied, grinning.

"You'd better make sure we're in different patrols or you might find yourself coming home in an urn." 

"Promises, promises."Spike whispered to himself, as they all walked through the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The group walked out of Giles' building and started along the street to the quieter areas of town.Angel and Buffy walked ahead a little.

"So Cordelia is your guide then?Strange choice."

"She's a very good friend, Buffy, and a huge benefit to the team."

"She must be, to go through that for you."

"The visions aren't easy to deal with, she's had some bad times with them.Doyle used to deal with it a little better. He was a half demon I met when I first came to LA, he had the visions to begin with, and brought Cordelia and I together to form Angel Investigations.The visions didn't seem quite as detrimental on him, although I think that was more to do with the fact that he tried to 'cure' them by downing whiskey."

"I can see him doing that."Buffy laughed to herself.Angel looked at her curiously for a second.

"Sorry," she said,"Doyle was your friend, who died, wasn't he?I remember you telling me about that, the night of the funeral."

"Yes, he died to save a lot of people and before he went, he passed his visions on to Cordelia."

"You have an amazing group of friends, Angel."Buffy said, and briefly touched his arm in the darkness.He smiled down at her, but before anything else could be said, a shout came from the back of the group.

"Oy, we're not exactly looking inconspicuous, walking down the street like a bleeding mob.You might as well make us all hold hands and form a crocodile!"

"Spike does have a point."Wesley said, reluctantly."We might cover more ground if we split up."

"He's right."Angel said to Buffy.

"I know, and much as it pains me to say it, I think we'd be best dividing it into Scoobies and your bunch.I can, however, offer you the loan of Anya, for demon spotting abilities, 'cause I'm thinking giving you Spike would be a very bad idea."

Angel softly smiled at her in the darkness.

"You take the south side and I'll head east." he said, "We'll meet up again at 3am to compare notes, at the entrance to the cemetery."

"Be careful." he added,"You don't know your limitations yet, since you've come back."

"I will be," she said,"and I'll let you check me over for damage when this is all finished."

By this time the rest of the group had caught up with them.

The large party soon split into the two, more familiar, smaller ones, with the addition of Anya to the LA group, and went their separate ways.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The Scoobies found themselves looking over old territory close by the old high school.Nothing had yet been built on the site where the old one had burnt down on Graduation; it was now a haven for the homeless and soulless, nothing truly lived there.

Willow was walking by Buffy's side, as they patrolled the area, leaving Spike and Tara to silently bring up the rear.

"I'm glad you made the choice to come back."Willow said.

"Me too, Will, thank you for helping me and for believing in me all that time."Buffy turned to look at her friend.

"And I have to thank you for going to LA, and telling Angel."Tears pricked in Buffy's eyes at the thought of her friend having to tell her lover that she was gone.

"You don't have to thank me for anything.You've always helped me out, above and beyond the call of duty.And I wanted to tell Angel.I guess I knew that he was one of the few people who would really understand how I felt."Buffy took her friend's hand in hers and squeezed it affectionately, as they paused in the road for a moment.

"And I'm guessing, with all the chemistry that's sparking about at the moment, that you two didn't spend the past 24 hours catching up on office gossip."Willow gave a little smile.

"Is it that obvious?"Buffy asked, with a groan.

"I'm your best friend, I have special powers for these kind of things.And the fact that you two are all glowy and puppy eyes again gives it away a little as well."

"I didn't think I'd ever be this happy again.Especially not being dead."She gave a little laugh.

"I'm glad.I did like Riley, but I know you never felt the same way about him as you did about Angel."

"It's unbelievable, Will.Even though we've been apart for two years, the feelings were always there, they never went away.And now, finally, we can release them and be with one another again, and it's intense.It's just so amazing.I want to spend forever with him and he feels the same."Willow watched her friend's eyes sparkle as she spoke of her lover.She smiled a little to herself.

"Everyone deserves to find that one consuming passion for, at least, a little part of their lives." she said, and glanced back for a moment at Tara.Tara looked up at her from underneath her fringe.

"I need you to do something for me…well, for us."

"I'll try and do whatever I can.Would this happen to be something to do with a certain curse and trying to find a way to get around it?"

Buffy grabbed Willow in a hug."I love you, you know that, Will?You're family to me."

"I love you too, Buffy."Willow said, returning the embrace.

They held one another for a moment and then let go.Buffy turned to see where they were and caught Spike's eye.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him.

"Nothing, just storing an image in my head to bring out on future lonely nights." he said, grinning at the slayer.

"You're a sick man, Spike."Buffy said, and carried on walking down past the school.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Angel, Gunn, Wesley and Anya found themselves walking out towards the site where Buffy had faced Glory for the final time.

Anya was shaking a little as they entered into the site.

"Cold?"Wesley asked her.

"No, I'm at a perfect temperature thank you.It's just this place, it makes me feel strange, I don't like it."

The three men looked at her for a moment, trying to work out whether she was actually sensing some evil here.Anya saw the three of them looking at her.

"I'm not mad. It's just…this is where we fought Glory and where Buffy died.See, over there?" Anya pointed to a patch of land at the base of the tower."That's where she fell, when she plummeted out of the sky."

Gunn looked up in the air, towards the top of the tower.

"Off that thing?" he whispered, in awe.

"Quite."Wesley added.

Angel just stood there silently, his eyes never straying from the area Anya had pointed too.All he could see was the battered, twisted body of Buffy lying there.The sound of her bones breaking as she smashed to the floor.His mind played back nightmares he'd had, from months ago, where he had been here, and had rushed forward to catch her, but had been too late and she had smashed to the ground in front of him, or the worst ones, when he caught her, but he'd dropped her.

"Angel?"Wesley asked quietly.

He shook his head, trying to clear the morbid images from them, and looked up at his friend.

"I'm okay, Wesley."

"Best not to think about it.She's back now." the Englishman said, trying to pacify him.

Angel nodded and began to walk around the site.Now that he'd gotten over the initial shock of what had happened here, he began to sense something else.Something not quite human was here.He looked around and saw machinery left abandoned and partly dug trenches, but no sign that any work had been done in a while.

"Is this site being used for something?" he asked Anya.

"Xander's company was going to build on it, but they started work and found the ground unsuitable.I don't really remember, he told me a few nights ago, before we had sex, and I wasn't listening."

He crouched down near the ground and ran his fingers through the sand that covered the earth.Wesley bent down close by.

"Magic, something magic has been cast here." Wesley said.

"Oh yes, this is where Willow and the others cast the spell to bring Buffy back."Anya explained.

"There's something else."Angel said.He reached into his duster and produced a small vial, which he filled with some of the sand."A darker magic."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy, Willow, Spike and Tara had made their way down past the school and through a small bit of the town towards the Bronze.It was getting on to 2:45am, at this point, and the streets were deserted.Even the late night revellers, who had been in the club, had gone home by now.They walked quietly down the alleyway behind the building.Everything seemed peaceful and still.They were about to turn around and head to the cemetery to meet the others, when a slight movement caught Buffy's eye.She dropped slightly into a fighting stance and scanned the alleyway once more.A figure moved behind some bins up ahead.Before Buffy could move forward, Spike rushed passed her and dragged a body out from the garbage, kicking out at him.As he dragged the squirming figure back towards the group, Willow could make out a face that seemed familiar somehow.

"Damn human," Spike yelled, and dropped his catch, as a searing pain went through his head.

As the figure landed on the ground, the hood it was wearing fell back a little, revealing more of the face.

"Raven!"Willow exclaimed, as she recognised the young sorcerer.

Raven looked up at Willow above them, his eyes hollow and dark, his skin pinching into his bones, pale skin, now whiter than ever before.

"Willow." he whispered out, hoarsely.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"Willow, do you know him?"Buffy asked.

"This is Raven, he helped me with the spell we cast to bring you…the spell we cast."

Raven looked up at Buffy for a moment, a strange look on his face.Buffy found she couldn't hold the stare and turned away.When she turned back, Willow was talking to him once more.

"What happened?"

"It's Rowan." he replied.

"Rowan?"Willow asked.

"My girlfriend, she was with us that night."

"Oh yes, I remember."Willow replied.

"She's gone."

"Gone?She vanished?"

"Not exactly, she just started to change, you know, after that night at the building site.And then a week ago, she just vanished and I can't find her anywhere."

"Maybe she went back home?Or went to another town?"Tara asked, from the background.

"No, she'd run away from home to come here with me, she'd never go back there."

"Did you have an argument?"Willow asked, carefully.

"Nothing like that, she just changed, started to become obsessive about her magic, wanting to do more powerful magic.When I tried to stop her, she used to turn on me.Then one day, I woke up and she had gone, taking her magic books with her."

"Maybe she just needed a little space."Buffy offered, a little bored now.

"She kept saying something about pleasing him, pleasing the master, she had to please the master."

"We'll keep a look out for her, Raven, I promise."Willow said, trying to reassure the boy."We'll come by your place later on this week and see what else we can find out."

The boy got up and ran off into the darkness then.

"Did I miss something, or did we suddenly become the bloody Samaritans?"Spike scoffed in the background."We're supposed to be looking for some big bad evil, not doing friends and family reunions."

"We should help people."Tara said, trying to stick up for Willow.

"We'll try and do what we can."Buffy said to Willow."But we need to move ourselves and get to the cemetery before the others start to worry."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Giles sat at one side of his desk, hunched over a pile of books with Fred sitting opposite him.They had been looking for information on Cordelia's vision all night, but they had very little to go on.Cordelia had tried, as hard as she could, to remember more details to give to them, but that had only succeeded in giving her more of a headache than she had previously.

Instead, they had begun to look into the mysteries concerning Buffy's return and new status as immortal.Giles wanted to make sure that both himself and his slayer were prepared for any 'differences' there might be.However, this was also a slow arduous process and so the morale in the room was beginning to drop.

Fred had been helping out as much as she could all night and she was finding that she enjoyed working with Giles.She liked this older man sitting in front of her.He had the same clipped accent as Wesley; so different from the way the others spoke.She enjoyed Wesley's company a lot, but this man, he made her feel so comfortable.He had told her how he used to be a librarian and it had made her feel some connection with the past.This was the kind of man she used to work with in the library in LA, someone who understood the true value of books and learning.And he seemed such a kind man, who obviously doted on the group of young adults he had around him, but wasn't overly emotional about it, in his British way.She had watched the youngest girl angrily running upstairs, earlier, after the argument.Then she had watched closely, as Giles had prepared a hot chocolate drink and a plate of biscuits and gone up the stairs and come down a moment or two later with a smile on his face.Obviously the young girl had forgiven him.Fred smiled to herself at the thought.She was trying very hard to help this man find the information he was looking for, but they didn't know what they were looking for.They were trying to work out Cordelia's vision, but they had drawn a blank earlier in the evening.Now they were looking into the resurrection of the Slayer, the one they called 'Buffy'.She gave a little sigh that made Giles look up briefly and catch her eye.He smiled at her, making her grin back at him and then they turned their eyes back to the books before them.

Xander woke up, sitting in the armchair with a book across his lap.The same book he'd had, in fact, for the majority of the night.He looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed his small nap.Giles and Fred had their heads bent low over the desks, he assumed Dawn was still in bed.Cordelia had been lying on the couch with an ice pack on her head, but now, the couch was empty and she was nowhere to be seen.Xander eased himself up from the armchair and walked across the floor of the apartment.He noticed the front door slightly ajar, the cool breeze drifting in from outside.He pushed it open a little more and saw Cordelia sitting on the edge of the fountain, in the courtyard, her back to the door, staring up into the sky.As quietly as he could, he walked across and sat down next to her.She looked up at him, her dark eyes on the edge of tears.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"A little better, the headache's gone now."

"That was pretty scary for a while."

"I'm used to them now, they get a lot worse." she said, sadly.

"Wow, so Vision Girl.Doesn't that interfere with the acting career?You know, unless you always go for parts that need you to collapse in pain."

"No, it doesn't affect it." Cordelia said through her teeth.

"So are we going to see you in anything soon?The next blockbusting movie opposite Reef Sledger or whatever he's called."

"Heath Ledger.I don't think I'll be doing any movies anytime soon."

"Aw come on, Cordy, don't be so hard on yourself, that big break is there, just waiting for you."

Cordelia paused for a moment and then couldn't hold back any longer, all the resentment and bitterness from the past two years just built up inside her and bubbled over the edge.

"I'm never going to be in movies, or on TV, I'm never going to be an actress!I don't even go to auditions anymore.I work as Angel's receptionist and I have these visions, these agonising mind bending visions, which guide Angel in his work.I work mainly at night and I'm so damn exhausted, that I sleep most of the day, in an apartment where my only friend is the poltergeist, who died when his own mother bricked him up inside my wall.I don't go out, I don't date, I don't do anything, I'm not anything." she screamed and started to sob."So go on, go tell everyone, the indisputable Queen of Sunnydale, Cordelia Chase, is another LA nobody, worse than that, she's a recluse, who spends her life sitting behind a desk in a dark dusty old hotel talking to dead people!"

Xander looked momentarily shocked, but then came to, edged closer to Cordelia and tentatively wrapped his arms around her.She sank into his shoulder and sobbed quietly while he gently stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.After a few moments she lifted up her head.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"I'm the last person in the world who is going to take pleasure from your situation, Cordy.Look at me; I'm still here, hanging with the gang, bumbling along.Willow's a mean Wicca now, Buffy's powers get stronger every day, Tara is coming on with the witchcraft, Anya has her ex-demon legacy and Giles, he holds it all together, even Spike helps out 'cause of his chip.Then there's me, I just go for doughnuts."

"Just like me."Cordelia said.

"We're important though, all the same.We help people, in our own ways.I keep the gang entertained, I get snacks and drinks, I keep everyone going on the long nights of researching, I try to help out every way I can.And look at you, look what you do.Without you, Angel wouldn't get his guidance from whomever he does; he wouldn't know what to do.It's obvious to see how fond they all are of you, and how important you are to them.So you don't act, you're not the star you wanted to be.Actresses are a dime a dozen in this world, they act out saving the world to entertain others.We're the ones helping the real heroes in this world, the ones actually doing something.So don't tell me you're nothing.You have a special job to do, that's worth a hundred movie roles."

"If Angel didn't have me, there'd be someone else for the visions.I didn't have them to begin with, his other assistant, Doyle, had them."

"So why have you got them now?"

"Doyle…Doyle killed himself to save a lot of people and before he died…he kissed me, and I didn't know it at the time, but his visions transferred themselves to me."

"He must have thought you were a pretty special person to transfer them to you, he could have picked anyone."

"He did like me…used to call me his 'Princess'."Cordelia explained, her eyes tearing again at the thought of Doyle.

"Cordelia, you are a special person.Just look at you, look at the person you've become, you've changed so much from the Sunnydale days.It's like every tiny bit of your personality that I fell in love with in high school, every little bit you tried so hard to hide, has suddenly come into its own.Never put yourself down.Angel and the rest of them are damn lucky to have you on their team."

Cordelia looked up at her ex-boyfriend, a smile on her face, truly grateful for what he said, but unable to resist.

"You're not trying to chat me up, are you?" she asked, jokingly.

"Hey, come on, 'engaged to be married man' here.I think the tragic love story of Xander and Cordelia should stay dead and buried."

"Amen to that."Cordelia said and hugged him once more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Angel breathed a small sigh of relief as he saw the figure of Buffy walking towards where they stood at the entrance to the cemetery.It was getting on for 3:15am and he had begun to worry what had happened to her.

She walked up to him and saw the look in his eyes.She took his hand into hers for a moment and squeezed it.

"I'm OK." she whispered, just so he could hear.

The others came up behind them, so Buffy dropped his hand and began recounting the events of the evening, about running into Raven near the Bronze.Angel went over their trip to the building site and the feeling they had experienced of dark magic.Buffy's eyes never left his face as he spoke of walking into the site, she could see the pain behind them, and felt the tears behind her own eyes as she thought of all the events that had happened there.They both finished their reports and were all just deciding to head back to Giles' with the little information they had, when the wind picked up, swirling around their feet.The eight of them automatically moved closer together, the fighters amongst them dropping down into ready positions.But as soon as it had begun, it ended, and the night was peaceful again.

"I guess we'd better go back to Giles."Buffy started.

"He might be able to make sense of some of the things we found."Willow added.

"What, a hobo human and a little parcel of sand?What is he, Mystic Meg?"Spike scoffed."The two greatest warriors on the planet at our disposal and we're going back with sweet F.A.Come on, Peaches, this is what redemption is all about?This is what you fight for?Jesus, the Hardy Boys could do a better job."

"You were there Spike, couldn't you have done more?"Angel asked.

"Yeah and miss out on ol' Buffy doing the Nancy Drew thing?See, I just don't get it.I thought you'd moved on, found yourself a life in old LA, but here you are, trying to get back into the knickers of the one girl who you dumped."

The others stood around the two vampires, too shocked to move.Buffy stood in the middle of them all, pleading silently for Angel to walk away and not to rise up to Spike's taunting.

"And the funny thing is, even if you did get back in with Buffy, you couldn't do it anyway.The dreaded curse.Oh you can look, but you can't touch, can't make her breathe in that short, heady way she does, can't make her shout out your name in pleasure.It's a damn sad story and one, I'll bet, can't be cured with Viagra."

Angel snarled at his offspring.

"Don't you *dare* ever speak about Buffy like that again." he growled.

"I'll speak about her, however the damn well I like."Spike said."I'm the one who's been watching her back for the past two years, helping her out when her little gang couldn't.And you, you just roll back here, with your long dark coat and your, 'I'm so hard done by routine' and think you can take back your place in her life.Don't work like that, Peaches.She doesn't want you, she's got another vampire in her life, one that can satisfy all her needs."

Buffy stepped forward to say something, a look of pure anger on her face, but she was stopped in her path by Angel.

"This is my fight, Buffy." he said, and as he looked into her eyes, his face changed into full vampire mode.He spun round and hit Spike around the face, knocking the younger vampire to the ground.

"Oh, hit a nerve did I?"Spike spat back, as he stood back up again and threw a punch at Angel.Angel blocked the first move, but was too slow as Spike brought his hand up and caught him full on the jaw.The two then began to lay into one another, yells and shouts coming from each of them as they fought.

"You don't deserve her, you walked away from her."

"To give her a better life!"

"And you think you can give her that now?Face it mate, you had your chance."

"Stay away from her, Spike, she's mine, my mate.And nothing is going to come between us this time."Angel screamed this last part as the two men pummelled at each other on the ground.

"Yeah right, like you're in it for the long haul."Spike hissed back.

"I should have staked you a long time ago." the older vampire replied.

The fight was getting more and more heated as the wind picked up once more.Buffy stepped forward to separate the two, but as she did, Willow pushed in front of her, her eyes each a deep pool of darkness.She muttered some words under her breath and threw her arms out.Angel and Spike were propelled from the ground and each pinned against the cemetery wall.Both struggled like mad, but were unable to move, due to some invisible force.The wind dropped again, suddenly, and the two vampires dropped from their bonds on the walls.Willow's body went limp and she slumped towards the ground, to be caught by Tara.She opened her eyes and looked around her.

"Wow, what was that?" she asked.

"Are you OK?"Tara asked her, concerned.

"I think so, it's just like, I just felt like some great power went…went…"

"…went through us."Angel completed.

"Like I wasn't in control."Willow finished.

"You felt this too?"Buffy asked, as she walked over to where he was picking himself up.

"Something went into me and I had no control over what I was doing."

"So that grand display of testosterone wasn't willing?" she asked him.

"I am sorry for that.Well, a little.Sorry you had to see it."

"Don't tell the feminists, but there was a *tiny*** part of me that kinda liked it," she said, smiling at him."thank you, for defending me."**

"Hey, come on.How about me?"Spike asked, from his position slumped on the floor."I was taken over by some weird thing as well, I was out of control too."

Buffy walked over to where he was.

"Yes, but Angel defended me.You just attacked!"Buffy said, indignantly.

Before the argument could go any further, Wesley jumped in.

"Quick, look up on the rooftops."

He pointed over to the houses close by the cemetery.It took them a little while, but soon they could all make out the black shape, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.It didn't even seem a solid object, more shadow-like, as it pounced between the buildings.

"We'll trail it some more."Angel shouted across to Buffy."You guys head back to Giles and give him all the details.Better take Anya with you too."

"Good plan, I've had far too much detail for one night and I don't even know this Xander guy."Gunn said.

Anya strolled over to where the others stood.

"You need me with you."Buffy said.

"We're only going to follow it, it's too close to sunrise for anything else.You need to go back to Giles and rest." he said, and the three of them took off down the street following the leaping creature.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Cordelia and Xander were still sitting on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. 

"We made a good team together, didn't we?"Xander said.

"Yeah, excellent team, oh yeah, until you were caught kissing Willow, and I got impaled on a very nasty spike and spent days in hospital."

"Of course, but then along came Wesley and swept you off your feet with his stuffy English ways."Xander quipped back."How are you two getting on anyway, not mixing business with pleasure?"

"Oh come on, give me some taste, I was young and on the rebound then!Anyway, if it hadn't have been for me, you would have never met your future wife."

"That reminds me, I almost forgot to thank you for wishing us into an Alternative Reality Universe where the vampires ruled and we were all dead."

"Oh, you were so not dead, porno vamp!"

Xander sat back and looked at her closely.

"It's just like old times." he observed.

"Thanks for tonight." she replied, and she pulled him into a hug once more.At that point they heard voices coming up the stairs and quickly pulled apart again.They were sitting on the fountain, side by side, when Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies appeared in the courtyard.

"Hi guys."Buffy said, as she saw the two sitting at the top of the stairs.

"We were…" Cordelia began.

"…just waiting for you to come back."Xander finished, a little guiltily, when he saw his fiancée in the background.

"How are you feeling now?"Tara asked Cordelia.

"Better, thanks.But no more information."

"Well, we're here to give Giles all the information we've found so far."

"Are Angel and the guys OK?"Cordelia asked, noticing the bloodied state of Spike's face.

"They're fine, he's fine.They just went off to track something we saw, then they're going back to the mansion."Buffy answered.

"I might head back there then."Cordelia replied.

"Anya and I can walk you, it's on the way to our apartment."Xander jumped in.

"It's not, it's a good six blocks out of our way."Anya began to complain, but Xander nudged her and she stopped.

"We'd better go and tell Giles everything we know, before people start to head home."Willow suggested.

They all trooped inside the apartment to find Giles and Fred still looking through books.

"Did you find anything?"Giles asked."And what happened to Spike?"

"Her bloody boyfriend, that's what happened to me, randomly attacking me in the street."Spike spluttered.

"Something strange passed through us, while we were out patrolling, about 3am.Wind picked up, the boys started fighting, Willow went all funny-eyed, cast some spell and they were split apart, then the wind passed through again and everyone was back to normal."Buffy relayed.

"Willow?"Giles asked.

"She's right.It felt like something was inside me, controlling me.The spell was like nothing I've ever cast before, but it felt really powerful."

"Did you happen to see what did this to you all?"

"We're not sure, we saw some creature jumping over the roofs of people's houses after everyone had come around, so Angel and the rest have carried on following it, to see what they can find."

"Excellent.Can you describe what you saw so far?"

"It looked like a shadow, to be honest, not quite there, it just pounced from one rooftop to the next, kind of flowing."

" I suspect we will know more when the others return.For now though, I think you should all go home and get some rest."

Willow, Tara, Anya, Xander, Cordelia and Fred all walked out towards the doorway, shouting their goodbyes, leaving just Buffy and Giles in the flat.

"Has Dawn forgiven you for yelling yet?" she asked him, a smile on her face.

"Yes, I think she has.I thought being a Watcher was difficult, but being a parent…"

"Just that little bit tougher."

Giles went and sat on the back of the sofa and took his glasses off, gently rubbing his eyelids.

"Buffy, tonight, once Fred and I had found what little we could about Cordelia's vision, we began to research your situation."

"And?"

"We haven't exhausted the topic yet, but we have found out a few facts for you."

"Go on…."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"I think it was earlier yesterday, I had an apple at lunchtime.But apart from that, I can't really remember."

"From what Fred and I have managed to find on the subject of resurrection, it is unlikely that you will have to eat, your body, apparently, no longer needs the nutrients, however, it does still require water, more so than before, to stop your skin from dehydrating."

"Thanks for that," Buffy said sarcastically, "maybe I need to moisturise more now."

"There isn't much written on this topic, but, it seems, you are fairly invulnerable to any kind of stabbing, cutting, shooting etc.Your skin should heal itself fairly quickly before any damage can occur."

"Hey this is like being a superhero!"

"These gifts come with a price Buffy, you are immortal now, very little can kill you, there are some things, but we are still trying to find out about those.However, for the moment, you are faced with the fact that you are going to be around for a very long time, longer than any of us.Are you prepared for that?"

"Giles, for once, I'm taking my slayer duties seriously and I'm going to rid the world of evil.It's not going to be easy, living like this, but I have all of you to support me, and I have Angel.Just try and find out whatever you can.I mean, do I need to breathe?Why doesn't my heartbeat?"

"I can answer one of those now.You don't have any need for breath, it's just an automatic response.However, I would advise that you try and carry on 'breathing' so to speak, in case any strangers get too close to you."

"Great, now I actually have to *think*** about breathing!"**

"As for your heartbeat, I assume, as you don't require oxygen or nutrients, that your heart no longer needs to beat, hence doesn't.The heart is the pacemaker of life, should it beat, it would have a lifespan, hence you wouldn't be immortal.We'll carry on looking into it."

"Thanks Giles, just one more thing.I'm kind of homeless, you think I could borrow your couch, just for a rest until the others check in?"

Giles smiled at his Slayer."Of course you can."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

It was almost sunrise when Angel came to Giles' apartment.He had let the others head back to the mansion and was going to follow shortly.He explained to Giles what they had seen jumping over the rooftops, but that they had been unable to get close to it.Angel sensed a great evil from it, very dark and had felt a dark pull when the wind had appeared and he had started fighting Spike.He also explained that the spell Willow had cast had very dark magic undertones to it, nothing like he had seen her cast before.He gave Giles the vial of sand from the building yard for further analysis.He walked over to where Buffy was now asleep on the sofa.He gently touched her face and bent down to kiss her and then headed towards the door.

"I'll be back at sunset tomorrow, I'll try and find out what I can from the underground before then.Tell Buffy I've gone back to the mansion, when she wakes up."

"Of course."Giles replied, and then almost as an afterthought continued,"She's been through a lot, Angel, things I can't even begin to get my head around.She needs stability and guidance in her life."

Angel looked at the man in front of him.

"I love her, Giles.And I am going to do everything I can to help her through all of this, and *nothing* is going to make me walk away from her again."

Angel turned and walked out of the door.

Giles turned and looked down at the sleeping form of the Slayer and smiled, then turned the light off and went to his bed.

END OF CHAPTER 7

[Feedback (I thrive on it!)][1]

[Chapter 8 – coming soon][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/selwyn29



	8. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 8

Buffy awoke momentarily disorientated

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 7 - 7/? - Rated R-13 - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's, I'm just making them feel better.PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read Chapter One or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Come on, give me some help here, do you like it?   
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie and Mark my Beta readers who I owe so much thanks to and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines.

Buffy awoke, momentarily disorientated.She looked around her and tried to place where she was.The piles of books, which lay on the sturdy dining table, made her realise she was in Giles' living room.She sat on the settee, just embracing the silence around her.No one was moving in the house.Dawn must have already gotten up and gone to school.Buffy noticed the remnants of a cereal breakfast on the table in front of her.She laughed softly to herself.Giles was obviously out, as she knew he wouldn't have left that sitting there so long.

She got up slowly, stretched out her body, and walked over to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.She remembered Giles' words from the night before and realised just how thirsty she was.She drank three glasses of water and then headed up the stairs to the bathroom.She climbed into the shower and let the water pound over her body.She couldn't remember the last time she had taken a shower, something as simple as that.She hadn't had one since returning.The water streamed over her body, bringing her skin to life.She closed her eyes and put her head underneath the flow.The sensations of the water touching every part of her, brought to mind thoughts of Angel, of his hands touching her skin, of his arms holding her so tight, encircling her.Just being within those strong arms seemed to make all the problems in the world go away.No one else could ever feel like that.'He's mine', she thought to herself, 'Finally'.She got out of the shower and towelled herself dry, still with Angel on her mind.She pushed open the door into what was now Dawn's room.It was the first time since she had 'returned' that she had been in here.Every surface was littered with her sister's things.She saw the stars on the wall that she had watched Willow and Tara putting up. On the dressing table, there was a silver frame in the shape of a heart and in it was a picture that Buffy recognised. She picked it up and saw that it was of her, her mother and Dawn, taken on a picnic they had gone on, one day last year.Buffy and her mother were sitting on a rug with Dawn lying across their laps, all three were laughing at something, not one of their faces betraying the sadness that would soon envelop them.Buffy gently placed the picture back where she had found it and noticed that Mr. Gordo sat next to the picture on the table.She picked up her pink stuffed pig and held it close for a moment, glad that this treasured possession had found it's way into Dawn's new room.

"Right, Mr Gordo, I'd better try and find some clothes to put on and go show my face at the shop, so everyone doesn't write me off as dead again."

She scanned through Dawn's wardrobe and found a pair of cropped dark trousers and a top, both of which she recognised as her own.

"I die and she still steals my clothes," she said to herself.

She pulled the clothes on and then, as an afterthought, recalling what Giles had said the night she had returned fully, covered her head with a scarf and took a pair of Dawn's sunglasses that were hanging off the edge of the mirror.She caught a glimpse of herself.

"Very Audrey Hepburn." then ran down the stairs and out of the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The Magic Box was empty when she entered and, from what she could tell, deserted.She walked up to the counter and scanned around the room to see if she could see either Anya or Giles.After a few moments looking she gave up.

"You'd think a Slayer would get some service in here." she shouted, and was rewarded with Giles's appearing over the top of the gallery where he kept his books.

"Buffy." he said, putting his glasses on."I was worried you were another tourist who'd wandered in again.Didn't recognise you for a second."

"Giles, I am a master of disguise." she replied, pulling off the sunglasses.

Giles climbed down the narrow steps of the ladder which lead to the balcony, and stood in front of the Slayer, a large book in his hands.

"We were just trying to find some more information on this creature you all saw."

"Any luck."

"Nothing definite for the moment, but we are progressing.We have narrowed it down to less than 100 possibilities."

Buffy rolled her eyes at her Watcher.

"I will admit, more research is needed, as is more information.Maybe you would care to join us?"Giles added light heartedly.

"You know me Giles. You guys are the brains; I'm just the brawn.Anyhow, I have places to go, people to see.Keep up the good work." she turned and headed out towards the door.

Giles smiled at his retreating Slayer's back.There was definitely a happier demeanour about her, one he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Angel's at the mansion." he called, as she opened the door.

"I'll check in with you later." she replied.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

She walked cautiously through the entrance into the mansion, part of her almost expecting to see the boxes packed again.That part of her, however, breathed a sigh of relief as she walked into the lounge and saw it, as it should be.A few books were scattered around, lying open on pages of demons and dark forces.She guessed that they had been up for a while after the patrol, trying, as Giles was, to work out what this thing was.Now, however, the mansion was silent, she could sense Angel close by, but all the signs pointed to the rest of the group being out.Quietly crossing the room, she headed to his bedroom where she guessed he was sleeping, it not even being midday yet.

As she walked into the room, she shed the headscarf, her glasses and the shoes she had been wearing.She carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, trying hard not to disturb his sleeping form, and swung her legs up and under the covers.Edging slowly backwards, she curved her body into his.Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her and pushed his face into her hair, drawing in a deep breath.She wriggled her body even closer, so that every possible millimetre of her skin was touching his, and just relaxed in his arms.She began playing with his fingers that were entwined with hers, resting just over her stomach, and she felt him shift slightly as he woke up.

"Buffy." he whispered, his eyes barely open.

"Expecting someone else?" she asked, lightly.

"You'll do," he said.

She turned over to face him and was met with the dazzlingly deep pools of his eyes, staring straight into hers.

"You left me at Giles'." she said to him.

"You looked so peaceful, sleeping there. I didn't want to disturb you.I wanted you to get some rest."

She gently touched the side of his face.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"Caring."And she lifted her face up to gently kiss his lips.

"I never stopped." he whispered into her kiss.

She traced her fingers across his face, gently touching the healing bruises that coloured his pale skin.

"You and Spike really laid into one another.I just hope he looks as bad as you."

"With any luck, he looks worse."Angel said, a wicked grin on his face.

She batted him playfully on the shoulder.

"You shouldn't say things like that."

"I know, and I know that something took us over, and made us react in that way, but he did deserve it."

"It was kind of a turn on, you defending my honour and all that.I felt quite the fair maiden."

"At your service, my lady."Angel said, and placed a kiss on her forehead.She giggled quietly.

"How was patrol last night?" she asked.

"We lost the creature after a short time, it was too fast for us, but the sensations I was getting from it, make me think it was responsible for the altercation earlier."

"What was it like?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"The creature?You saw it…"

"No, the tower and the yard."

"Deserted, Xander's firm has stopped all work on it.There was some evidence of black magic…"

"That's what you told me last night.Now, tell me how you felt when you were there.I saw it in your eyes when we met at the cemetery.What were you thinking?"

Angel was silent for a moment, and then he spoke."I couldn't get the image of you falling, out of my head.Of your body lying crumpled on the ground.It brought all the nightmares back again."

"What nightmares?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter Angel, it matters to me."

"After you'd gone, after Willow had told me what had happened, when I went to sleep at night, I used to dream about the night you died.I could see you falling from the tower and I'd run to catch you, but I wouldn't be in time, and I wouldn't be able to save you, just like I couldn't then."Tears began to glisten in his eyes as he spoke the fears he'd held inside so long.

She reached up and touched her hand to his cheek, gently wiping away the first tear that escaped.

"You did catch me.You were the last thing I thought of as I hit the gate, my last memory on this earth was of you.I saw your face in my head and it made me happy, I never felt anything then, I could just see you and feel our love for one another.You didn't fail me, Angel, you were there till the last possible moment."

"You found your peace though.They should never have brought you back.You deserved to find paradise."

"This is the peace I need.I remember little bits of another place, after I had died and before I was returned.I can remember being given the choice by the Powers and having to think about what I should do. Oh, my Mom..." A tear-filled smile lit up her face as she spoke, "Angel I saw my Mom and she told me how she loved me but I was needed here more, that I belonged here.She showed me how to see people, to see what was happening, and I watched Dawn and the others, decorating her bedroom, all of them looking out for her, even Spike.And then I watched you, I watched you when you were in your apartment and I knew then, that I wanted to come back.I even told my Mom that I was coming back to you.I wanted to carry on the work we had started, to come back and help people again, and to watch Dawn grow up, but mostly, I wanted to come back to you.I was given a second chance and I wanted to make damn sure we didn't miss out this time."

"You gave up so much," he whispered to her.

"Are you happy?At this single moment in time, do you feel happy?" she asked.

"Yes." he said, and kissed her gently.

"Then it was worth the sacrifice.Remember, together we are powerful, alone we are dead."

Angel felt himself jump a little at that quote.

"I don't remember who said that to me, maybe it was while I was in the other place.Doyle told me a lot."

"Doyle?"

"Yeah, he's working in the other place now, acting as a messenger for the Powers."

Angel smiled at the thought of his friend.

"He had a lot of nice things to say about you.And a awful lot of things to say about Cordelia."

"I'm glad you had a chance to meet him properly."he said.

"I just remember him sitting with me, keeping me company until I went back down.And then I remember waking up and not recognising people who seemed so familiar, and being so scared and out of control and wanting it all to end, and then finding you."

Angel wrapped his arms tightly around his beloved.

"You're an amazing woman Buffy Summers," he whispered into her hair."I love you, more than I can even say."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow walked across the college campus, checking behind her every now and again, until she chastised herself.

'Why do you think someone is following you?It's daylight, Spike's underground and you're only cutting one little class, one class that you've already done all the reading for, that you've already done the essay for, this week anyway.Live life, sometime you have to cut classes.'

However her feet sped up just that little bit to get her to her destination a little quicker.

She headed out of the campus and over into a more rundown area of Sunnydale.One that didn't even need the demons to make it unliveable.She stepped cautiously over empty trashcans, used syringes, empty spirit bottles.Cats screeched and dogs howled on each side of her.She clutched her books to her a little more closely, like a shield against her body, and put her head down.

She soon was standing outside the building she wanted.She looked up at its imposing dirty red structure, the windows covered in old copies of the LA Times.Broken panes more frequent than whole ones.

Ever since she had seen Raven last night, she had been thinking about Ramon's disappearance, something just wasn't quite right about it all.She took a deep breath and stepped towards the door.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Angel was awakened from his slumber by a noise in the house.He moved his arm from underneath Buffy's head and got up to investigate.He walked into the lounge and was relieved to see that it was just Cordelia.

She began to open her mouth to say something, but Angel put his fingers to his lips and led her into the kitchen.

"Shh," he said, "Buffy's exhausted."

"Don't you two do anything, but sleep?" she asked."Actually I hope you don't 'cause, hey, we all know where that one will lead."

"Thanks for reminding me, Cordelia."

"Anyway, I just came over to let you know that Wes, Gunn, Fred and I have moved to a motel down the road.As we seem to be staying here for a while.You know, to give you two a chance to spend some time together, and come on, house without mirrors, it was never going to work for me.Oh and by the way, I used the petty cash to pay for it."Cordelia gave her boss a grin.

"Alright then, have you picked up the messages from the machine at the hotel?"

"Yeah, it's amazingly quiet in Los Angeles at the moment, strange though that might seem.We're all off to try and give Giles a hand; he seems to think he may have narrowed it down a little more this morning.I guess you'd better get your beauty sleep and head out tonight."

Cordelia gave him a brief kiss on the cheek.

"I'm glad you're happy."And then headed back out of the door, taking the keys to his car as she left.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy was awakened by the sound of Angel getting up and was about to follow him, when she heard Cordelia's voice.She sat back down on the bed and looked around the bedroom, her eyes adjusting to the darkness quite well.He had thrown his duster on the floor the night before and a piece of paper had fallen out of his inside pocket.Buffy looked a little closer, trying not to pry, but also having difficultly in tearing her eyes away.She picked the piece up and examined it.It was a simple black and white drawing, with a poem, written in beautiful calligraphy, down one side.She read the words silently to herself.

_The Promise by Kris Kristofferson_

__

_You gave me back my soul again by showin' me_

_The laughter and the wonder in your eyes_

_Saved me from the shuttered man I used to be_

_Opened up the windows of my life_

__

_And the happiness you've given me for lovin' you_

_Is sweeter love and deeper every day_

_I can't stop the changes that you're growin' through_

_Or someone new from stealin' you away_

__

_So darlin' when it's time you can spread your wings_

_And I'll set you free - to fly away - and it's ok_

_Cause darlin' time changes everything_

_But it won't change me_

_I love you - oh...I love you_

__

_Inside of me you'll always be my valentine_

_I pray your freedom makes your dreams come through_

_As long as there's a heartbeat in this soul of mine_

_You'll know there's someone so in love with you_

__

_So darlin' when it's time you can spread your wings_

_And I'll set you free - to fly away - and it's ok_

_Cause darlin' time changes everything_

_But it won't change me_

_I love you - oh...I love you_

_ _

Then she looked across at the picture.It was a perfect drawing of her, every little detail captured, and she was lying in a bed, laughing at the person drawing the picture.She was covered by a sheet, but was naked otherwise, and her eyes were shining bright, with love and passion.She read the words of the poem over again and looked at the picture.She knew Angel had drawn it, she knew his style, but how had he made that scene up?How had he captured so much detail?And where was she, why did that bed seem so familiar when she knew the only bed she had been in with Angel was at his old apartment in Sunnydale.She closed her eyes and tried to think hard.She heard a noise in the doorway and looked up to see Angel walking into the room.He saw what she had clutched in her hand and looked at her in shock.One look into his eyes and everything suddenly came crashing back to her and she burst into tears.

Angel stood for a second in the door, just watching her, holding the picture, and then he saw her begin to cry, and dashed over to the bed and took her in his arms.She burrowed her head in his bare shoulder and sobbed her heart out.

"Buffy," he whispered, soothingly, into her hair, "Buffy, what's wrong, what's the matter?"

It took a while for her to be able to speak between the gulping sobs.She took a moment to try and calm down a little, then lifted her hazel eyes up to look into his.

"I forgot." she whispered, through the tears."I promised and I forgot."

"Forgot what?"Angel asked, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.

"I forgot our day.I just remembered it all now…you were human, you had a heartbeat.We kissed…. Oh God, we kissed in the sunlight on the pier.I saw you walk out onto the pier, with the sun blazing down on you, and you pulled me into your arms and kissed me."

Angel held her close and began stroking her hair, unsure of what to say to her.

"And then we went back to your apartment, but you weren't at the hotel, you lived underneath the old office, and we went back to drink tea, except I was too excited to drink anything, so I just let mine go cold, and we talked about taking it slowly, about seeing one another again.Then…what happened then?" she asked him.

"You got up to leave and…"

"And you touched my hand, and we started kissing, oh, against the fridge and then…we broke the kitchen table didn't we?" she asked again.

"Yes, we did."

"And you carried me to your bed and made love to me, with ice-cream and peanut butter, over and over again."

He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"And then we fought the demon again, and you were hurt and I nearly got hurt, so you asked the Powers to turn you back, for me, to protect me."The tears were coming again.

"And they gave us a couple of minutes before they turned the day back and I promised I wouldn't forget, I promised and I did." she started crying again.

"Buffy, no one remembered that day, except me.The Powers made sure of that, don't blame yourself for anything."

"But I was so horrible to you when I saw you next, because I thought you didn't want me anymore, I didn't understand, so I threw my thing with Riley at you."

"You'd moved on, like I asked you to."

"But I hadn't, I still loved you, but I believed that you had given up when you had gone to LA, so I said those things to hurt you."

"And I yelled back."

"And it just got worse. And all that time, you knew that had happened, you could remember that entire day, that one day that should have been the highpoint in our lives, and I was telling you that I had moved on, because I thought you didn't care anymore.Oh God, I was such a bitch to you!"

"Buffy, look at me."Angel said, taking her by the shoulders so she looked him straight in the face.

"I love you, I always have and I always will, no matter what."

"I love you too," she whispered.

"Then none of this matters anymore.We can go 'round and 'round in circles for eternity, blaming one another for little things over the past two years.Each one not believing we are worthy of the other's love, but what is important, is now, that we can look into one another's eyes and forgive and forget.You've taught me that over the past couple of days.Together we are strong.The Mohra demon told us that.I want to be with you, no matter what."

"I want to be with you too."

Angel pulled her into his bare chest and kissed her passionately, gently laying her down on the bed and moving his body across hers.As their kiss became more heated and passionate, Angel broke away and looked into his love's eyes.

"Nothing, but good, has come out of you finding that picture."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that now, the last memory you have of us making love, is that day, that one in a million, fantastic day, rather than your 17th birthday.And now I have someone to talk to about it, because I've been keeping it bottled up inside for nearly two years now, and that picture is only one of the results of that."

He looked at her, his deep brown eyes seeming like endless pools above her, a wicked grin on his face."It means that we can lie here, like this, and I can remind you of exactly where you dripped ice cream on me…." he started, picking up one of her hands and trailing it across his naked chest."And of how your tongue felt when it licked it up." he leaned over her and traced her neckline with his tongue.

Buffy shivered in pleasure and closed her eyes; the memory of the day playing through her mind as Angel gently replayed the motions of their day together.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow pushed open the door and walked into the entranceway.Bare boards lay under her feet, where carpet had been once.As she walked towards the stairs, there was rubbish in every nook and cranny. Willow held her breath, as the smell was incredible, rotting food, mouldy papers and stale urine.It was a smell she wouldn't forget for a while.She pushed her way past an abandoned bike and made her way up the stairs.She was exhausted after the first two flights, but kept heading upwards.Finally after four full flights she reached the attic.

There was a tiny landing here, with a minute window looking down onto the back yard, which was full of scrap.There was a mini hob on the windowsill, which still had a pan on top of it; the food was so mouldy it was unrecognisable.

Willow walked across to door 19, a post-it was stuck to the door from the landlord demanding the last 3 months rent and threatening to kick them out.

She knocked on the door, but there was no answer, so she knocked again.After about five minutes a head popped out of the other doorway opposite.

"He is in, I saw him come home around three hours ago and he hasn't left."

"Thank you."Willow stammered at the old man, who had appeared out of his apartment.

The man shuffled across the hallway and reached across the front of Willow.She shrank back against the doorway in shock, worried about what he was reaching for.He grasped hold of the handle of the mouldy pan and snatched it to him.

"People, coming up here, stealing your food." he mumbled to himself, before shuffling back into his room.

Willow leaned against the doorway to catch her breath, and as she put her weight back against the door.It fell open, launching her backwards, into the small pokey room.She struggled up from the floor and tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness.Failing that, she walked over to the window and threw open the tattered curtains.A dull light came in through the windows, giving everything a bleak look.She stepped her way across what appeared to be the lounge; there was one small two-seated couch that had seen much better days, and a broken table.Everything was covered in paper and rubbish.A small bookcase rested against a wall and Willow recognised various magic books.She looked a little closer though, and saw that there were some books that she was sure Giles kept locked away, powerful magic books.Next to the bookcase was a door, which led into a small bedroom with a mattress on the floor and clothes thrown all over it.A sheet was nailed to the window to block out the light and the light switch didn't seem to work.Willow had a quick look around and made her way to the final doorway off the bedroom, only a very small door, which she guessed would lead to the bathroom.She walked up to it and knocked on it very quietly.

"Raven?It's Willow, are you in there?"

There was no answer, so she gently pushed the door open.She only got it open a fraction, before something stuck behind it, she pushed harder hoping whatever was on the floor would move with the door.The door opened a little more, enough for her to squeeze through and into the room.She stepped onto the dirty white tiled floor and was met with the sight of a prone Raven.She dropped down next to him and immediately saw the bottle of tablets and the empty whiskey bottle.She reached out to try and find a pulse, but there was none.The body was already cold.She looked at the tablet bottle and saw that they were beta-blockers, 40mg and that the bottle had held 60 tablets originally.She had no idea how many he had taken, but she knew it had been enough.Lying next to him on the tiled floor was a letter scribbled on a scrap of paper.

Dear Willow,

_I know it will be you who finds me here because you said you were going to come around and no one else would come.I just couldn't carry on anymore, she had changed so much and she wanted me to help her and I couldn't.I'm not strong like you.I can't fight; I just knew that she wouldn't leave me alone until I joined, so this was my only chance.You have to stop her, I know that there are people who you know who can help.She's at the old Warehouse past the Bronze_

_ _

The letter ended there.Willow folded it up and put it in the inside pocket of her coat.She sat next to the body for a moment or two, her head feeling a little woozy and her stomach churning.Then she stood up and walked out of the apartment.She got to the end of the block and called 911, leaving no name.Behind her, the shadowy creature jumped from rooftop to rooftop, following the redhead.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy opened her eyes to see Angel standing next to the dresser in the bedroom, fiddling with, what looked to be, a music system.

"Since when do you have technology in this place?"She asked, groggily.

"Cordelia brought it and just happened to leave it here when she moved to the hotel, so I thought I would make use of it." he replied, looking down at the girl lying across his bed.He turned, momentarily, and pressed play on the CD player.Then he turned back and held his hand out towards the bed.

"Dance with me?" he asked her.

"What, now?Here?"

"Yes." he said, and took hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet and into his arms.She rested her cheek on his shoulder and pushed her body close into his, both of them remembering that final dance on prom night.The music started up in the background, and they began to gently sway to the sound.

Have I told you lately that I love you  
Have I told you there's no one else above you  
Fill my heart with gladness  
Take away all my sadness  
Ease my troubles that's what you do  
  
For the morning sun in all it's glory  
Greets the day with hope and comfort too  
You fill my life with laughter  
And somehow you make it better  
Ease my troubles that's what you do

  
There's a love that's divine  
And it's yours and it's mine like the sun  
And at the end of the day  
We should give thanks and pray  
To the One, to the One  
  
Have I told you lately that I love you  
Have I told you there's no one else above you  
Fill my heart with gladness  
Take away all my sadness  
Ease my troubles that's what you do  
  
There's a love that's divine  
And it's yours and it's mine like the sun  
And at the end of the day  
We should give thanks and pray  
To the One, to the One  
  
And have I told you lately that I love you  
Have I told you there's no one else above you  
You fill my heart with gladness  
Take away my sadness  
Ease my troubles that's what you do  
Take away all my sadness  
Fill my life with gladness  
Ease my troubles that's what you do  
Take away all my sadness  
Fill my life with gladness  
Ease my troubles that's what you do

_ _

He held her close to him as the music stopped and the next track came on.

"There's so much I have to learn about you," she said.

"Like what?"

"Like, not knowing you liked Van Morrison, for one."

"Cordelia used to play it in her apartment, sometimes, when I was staying there.It always made me think of you."

Buffy reached up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his lips.

"This is perfect." she said,"and just so you know, what I said last night, about needing spare clothes here, it was only a comment.I don't want this to mirror prom night too much."

"I was thinking about that. I do need to talk to you about it."

"What, the prom?"

"No the clothes thing."

"Angel, forget it, I didn't mean it."

"I don't think you should move some spare clothes in."

Buffy's face dropped a little more.

"Oh all right."

"I think you should move all your clothes in."

"No, I under…what?" she asked.

"I want you to come and live here, in fact, I want to give you the mansion."

"You want to give me this place?" she said, in disbelief.

"I love you and I want to show you just how much.You can't stay sleeping on Giles' couch and I want you here, with me, if you'll have it."

"If I'll have it??" she exclaimed."Of course I will!"She threw her arms round his neck, the force pushing them backwards on to the bed, with Buffy on top of him.She began to rain kisses down on his chest.

"Does that mean you're staying in Sunnydale?" she asked him.

"Not exactly.I still have work to do in LA, but I'm planning on making this one of my two homes.And you can come to LA with me and stay there."

"I can cope with that," she said,"…can I decorate?"

"Yes." he said, smiling at her."But try and keep it simple, and vampire friendly."

"Oh God, Angel, this is so great.I get a house and I get you as well.I can't believe this."

"That isn't all," he said, holding onto his giggling mate, trying to calm her down.With some effort he managed to sit up with her balanced on his knee.

"More?" she asked.

"Well if we're going to be living together most of the time and you're going to have my house, I thought you'd better have this." he said, and reached behind, into one of the drawers of the bedside cabinet.

Buffy watched intently, as he pulled something she couldn't see out of the drawer and held it in his closed hand in front of her.

He looked deep into her eyes and gently touched her cheek with his free hand. 

"I love you, beyond all compare, beloved." he whispered to her and opened his hand.

Buffy looked down at the treasured item balanced in his palm.

"My Clauddagh ring!" she exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

"I haven't seen that since I left it on the floor of the mansion, when I thought you had gone to hell." she whispered.

"I found it when I came back and I kept it until it was the right time to give it to you again.I've been wearing it around my neck mostly since I got to LA, to keep part of you near."

"Will you wear it?" he asked her.

She reached down and took the ring out of his hand and placed it on her finger, the heart pointing inwards.

"I belong to you." she whispered, and kissed him deeply, pushing him back down against the bed.He reached behind himself, once more, and brought the second ring out of the drawer.Buffy took it out of his hand and gently slid it onto his finger, again heart pointing inwards.She took her ring hand and entwined it with his, the two silver rings touching one another.

"Back where we belong." she said, kissing him once more.

"I love you," he whispered to her.

"I love you too." she replied.

END OF CHAPTER 8

[Feedback (Come on, tell me your favourite bits!)][1]

[Chapter 9 – coming soon][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/selwyn29



	9. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 9

Angel opened his eyes as dusk began to settle over the town

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 9 - 9/? - Rated R-13 - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: [selwyn29@ntlworld.com][1]  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's, I'm just making them feel better.PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read the rest or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: Come on, give me some help here, do you like it?   
RATING: PG CONTENT

DEDICATION: To Trammie and Mark my Beta readers who I owe so much thanks to and Duck's who without her epics I would never had started this one.Also to the Babble Board posters, who have been an inspiration for some storylines.Also to the Bronzers who I have met over the past couple of weeks, including Falco, SpikeNip, Christopher Marlowe, Jessanne and all the rest who are reading this.

Angel opened his eyes as dusk began to settle over the town.He adjusted slightly to the dark in the room and smiled at the sight of the beautiful blond in his arms.He gently brushed across her bare shoulders, the edge of his ring just catching on her lace bra strap.His ring and his soulmate were in his arms at last.He pulled her even closer into his chest and placed a kiss on her hair.He had never believed that this day would come, where they were together, totally and absolutely.He ran his hand, once more, across her soft skin, reflecting in the warmth it brought to his cold skin.The feeling of the dip and curve of her spine as his hand ran down her back.He was rewarded in his ministrations by the sight of her face tipping up towards him and her hazel eyes opening slowly until they were open into wide pools that he was swimming in.

"Morning," she mused, sleepily.

"Its almost 6 p.m.," kissing her on the end of her nose.

"Less of the contradictions if we're going to be living together." she teased, and stretched up to kiss his lips.

"All right, I promise," kissing her back, passionately.They lost themselves for a moment in the kiss and then broke apart again.

"We'd better go check in with the gang," she said, reluctantly.

Angel nodded in agreement and kissed her once more before untangling his arms from around her and easing himself up into a sitting position.

"Any suggestions that involve us getting out of bed, you can contradict, you know," looking playfully up at him.

"I can see living with you is going to be a new experience."

"Not of the bad variety I hope," batting her eyelashes at him.

He lunged towards the bed and swept her into his arms for another passionate onslaught on her lips, then broke away.

"I think I can just about handle it." As he got up to head for the shower.

Just as he reached the bathroom door he turned to the bed.

"Stay!" he said, smiling, and quickly, opened the door and locked it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

They knocked on the door and Tara opened it immediately.

"Hey Tara."Buffy said."Almost opened that before we knocked.Premonition?"

Tara blushed for a moment."I thought you might be Willow."

"Will not here?"Buffy asked.

"I haven't seen her all day."Tara replied.

"Does she know we're meeting?"Buffy asked.

"I left a message and told her 7 p.m."Xander replied."She's got a few minutes before we go to Def Con 1."

Tara walked back over to where she had been sitting and perched on the edge of her seat, staring at the door.

Buffy and Angel walked into the room.Dawn sat at the dining table, her schoolbooks spread over any free space that wasn't taken up with the demonology books.She had her pen poised in her hand, and her workbook open, but the page was blank and it was obvious she was far too involved with what was going on in the room.

"Hey Dawnie, how was school today?"

"Just don't even ask."Dawn said, rolling her eyes.

"OK, was just doing the big sister…"But Buffy didn't have time to finish.

"Helen told Josh that I thought he was cute and that I have his name written on my chem book when I so do not, she's such a liar.She's only telling him that 'cause she knows Emily Gardener thinks he's a hottie and wants him to ask her to the dance and Emily won't be happy if she knows I like him.He told me he doesn't like Emily anyway, and it's a known fact through school that Emily will go up to the point with anyone that asks.Helen likes Michael anyway and he's going to ask Gemma to the dance and she's only jealous."Dawn barely took a breath.

"Woah," Buffy said, holding her hands up in mock anger."Too complicated for me to follow."

"But other than that, did you have a good day?"Angel's deep voice cut through the teenage tirade.

"Yes, it was ok."Dawn smiled at the tall vampire, going a little red.

They left Dawn at the table and made their way over to the seating area of the lounge.It took them a few moments to find anywhere to sit.Xander and Anya were in a tangle of arms and legs on one armchair.Giles stood by the sofa, with Wesley next to him, Cordelia and Fred sat on the floor close to the two British men,Gunn was in the middle of the sofa and Spike had the other armchair.Everyone seemed to be looking through books, Xander and Anya were alternating between turning the pages and kissing.Spike just sat, fiddling with a burnt match, watching the scene in front of him.Buffy sat on the sofa, in the space next to Gunn and Angel hovered behind her.

"So managed to get up, did we?"Cordelia said, smiling at the pair.

Angel gave her a pinched smile back."How is the research coming on?" he asked the group.

"We think we might be getting a little further, although there is so much mythology, we are finding it a little difficult to discern between fact and fiction."Wesley started.

"Have you two discovered anything further?"Giles' asked, looking up at his Slayer.

"Not exactly, no, but we do have some news."

"Ooo, news, of the good variety I hope, rather than the 'it's another impending apocalypse' news."

"Good, I hope."Buffy said, looking a little sheepish."But we'd better wait until Willow gets here."She had barely finished the sentence before there was a knock on the door and Tara opened it to reveal said witch.

"Sorry I'm late everyone." she panted, as she saw many concerned faces turned towards her."I got caught up in a book," she said in way of explanation.

"We barely noticed you were missing."Spike said, drolly.

"I was worried."Tara said, taking hold of her girlfriend's hand.

Willow squeezed it for a moment and then let go."I was just reading and forgot the time, I'm sorry."

"Did you go and see your friend?"Buffy asked, remembering Raven from the night before.

"Yes, everything is fine, he's found Ramon, she was just visiting some friends, they had an argument and she needed some space.Nothing to worry about."Willow walked into the seating area and sat on the floor, Tara sitting next to her. 

"What's happening here?" she asked.

"Buffy's got some news for us, and of the world's not ending variety."Xander filled in.

Everyone looked around at the Slayer expectantly.

"Talk about in the spotlight." she said, for once blushing a little, under everyone's gaze.

She looked up at Angel for a moment, and then back at the group in front of her.Telling her friends wasn't so bad, well it was, but she could handle it.It was explaining all of this to his friends too, some of whom she didn't know so well.

"Couldn't we just take out an advert in The Times or something?" looking pleadingly at Angel.

"We owe them an explanation."Angel said, placing his hand gently on his mate's shoulder.

Buffy took a deep breath and started."Angel and I, well, we've realised that we love one another."

"You've just realised?"Cordelia said sarcastically."If we were blind and deaf we probably would have realised that."

Angel looked at her for a moment and she went quiet.

"Sorry, just trying to inject a little humour."

"We love each other too much to be apart.We want to be together.I've been given a second chance with life and I want this to be a second chance for us as well.I know you all have concerns, but we want to try and make this work."

Silence lay across the room for a moment before Giles spoke.

"You'll forgive us all for having reservations over this.Nothing has changed since you left, Angel."

"Buffy and I have had the same conversation, Giles, over the past two days.Many things have changed, and some have not.The one thing that has remained the same is our love for one another, we can't fight that any more and neither of us wants to."Angel replied.

"Giles, I've gone over this until I am blue in the face.I'm never going to have a normal life again.Immortality and living in the darkness lies ahead.I just want a chance for a little happiness."

"But what about the curse?That still stands right?One moment of happiness and it's back to evil boyfriend who slaughters all your friends."Xander pointed out.

"What moment of happiness?"Dawn asked.

"The curse is still there, but we are aware of the problem."Angel said, cautiously, aware Dawn was listening.

"We are adults, Xan, we can control ourselves."Buffy said, and then stopped going any further."Anyway, I've asked Willow to help us find a 'cure' for it. And I'd appreciate any help anyone else could give."

"We'll do what we can."Fred said quietly, not sure what they were talking about, but wanting to support Angel somehow.

"Thank you.I know you all care for us, and we're glad of that, but we just want to be together.And that's another piece of news.I'm going to move into the mansion, to live."She turned to her watcher."Giles, thank you for looking after me since I have been back and giving me a place to stay.But it's for the best, I need somewhere to stay, out of sight from anyone who might be watching, and I can't stay, sleeping on the couch forever."

She got up and walked over to where Dawn sat and knelt down by the side of her sister, taking her hand into her own.

"Dawnie, you know I love you, more than anything in this world.You can come up to the mansion whenever you want to, I'll always be here for you no matter what."

"I know," Dawn said, with tears in her eyes."Mom would have wanted you to be happy."

"She did."Buffy whispered and hugged her little sister.

"Does this mean you're leaving us?"Wesley asked his friend.

Angel looked at his group before him."No, I'm still going to be working in LA, if you'll all have me.We haven't worked out the day to day logistics of this yet, just that I will be spending some of my time in Sunnydale and Buffy will come and visit in LA."

Buffy walked back over to where all her friends sat."Say something, anyone, please."

Willow stood up and walked over to her best friend.

"As long as you are happy, that's all the matters," hugging Buffy."Isn't it Xander?" looking at him sharply, across the room.

"Yeah, I guess its OK." he said and grinned at Buffy.

Willow walked over to Angel.

"Just make sure you take care of her," waving her finger, jokingly, at him.

"With my life." he replied.

"Giles?"Buffy asked, hesitantly.

"You're an adult now, you don't need my blessing or anyone else's for that matter."

"But it matters to me, Giles."

"Angel knows my reservations already.But I do believe that both of you are older and wiser and can make this work, if you are willing to try."

"Thank you." she said.

"Well, I say, yeah, to anything which makes him less broody around the office."Cordelia chipped in with.

Angel and Buffy surveyed their friends' faces in front of them.All looking at them, with that quiet acceptance they had come to know so well.Angel took his love's hand in his own, for strength, and stepped a little more into the circle.

"Thank you, all of you.You've constantly shown that you are there to support both Buffy and I individually over the past two years, and now you show that you can support us both.I know you all have reservations over this, but I promise that we will both do as much as we can to allay those fears.We don't know what the future holds for the both of us, but we do know that our destinies are together."He looked down at Buffy below him and placed a gentle kiss on her lips."Forever."

Spike looked at the two lovers before him, totally oblivious to the world around them.'Anyone could come in now and stake the lot of us.' he thought.Then he pushed his frame out of the armchair and walked out of the apartment.

Dawn was the only one who really paid attention to the younger vampire leaving.She saw the door shut behind him and quietly got up out of her seat at the dining table and crept out of the door.

Buffy and Angel broke apart and turned back to the others around them.

"Right, now the announcement is out of the way, how about you guys filling me in on what you've been up to while all this has been going on."

Glad for something resembling normality, the group got down to the business of research.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Dawn wandered outside Giles' to find Spike on the edge of the fountain, his back to the door.He was swigging something out of a flask he had concealed in his jacket pocket and Dawn was betting it wasn't coffee.She cautiously walked around the edge of the area and sat down next to him, her hands tucked underneath her body, her feet making patterns in the tiles in front of her.

They sat in silence for five minutes, Dawn watching the floor in front of her, Spike chugging down the contents of the metal flask.

"It's not like I love her or anything." swilling the last of the liquor down his throat.

"Course not."Dawn replied.

"But someone has to look out for her.I mean, I've known Peaches longer than anyone, I know what he's like better than anyone."

Dawn again sat in silence.

"I watched the pair of them split up more times than me and Dru.And that's saying something.The glory days, back when this stupid chip wasn't in my stupid head and everything was black and white, not these damn fuzzy shades it is now."

"You want to be bad again?"Dawn asked him.

"I just want to be something."Spike shot up from his sitting position and kicked a stick across the courtyard with his boot."It's so damn frustrating.I used to be feared across the continents, strike terror into people's hearts.Now look at me, playing hand maiden to the Slayer and nursemaid to her sister."

Spike looked up for a second and saw the expression on Dawn's face.

"Aww, Little Bit, I didn't mean that last bit, I like hanging with you."He sat back down on the stone again and reached in his pocket for a cigarette and his lighter.

"I just don't get why she's gone back to him.He's all whiny and moany.'Oh, I've had a hard life, I've killed too many people, I need to go off to a city far, far away and atone my bad deeds by living my life as a superhero.'Come on man; get off the Bruce Wayne Bandwagon.She needed him and he left, and now he's forgiven.I mean, I could put up with Soldier Boy 'cause I knew he'd never amount to much, but this…"

Dawn looked at the vampire before her for a second.

"He's good for her," she said.

"I know, I know.He makes her happy, he's what she needs, and they're destined to be together.He'd just better make sure he makes her damn well happy…"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy stared at the floor in the lounge, the others talking above her.Wesley and now Angel were pouring over some dusty old book; Giles was trying to explain what they had found out now.But, to be honest, she wasn't listening.It's not that she didn't appreciate the work they all did, with researching and all, it's just they didn't seem to be getting near to any answers, near to telling her what she had to fight and how.That was her role in all of this, going out and getting whatever it was and stopping it.However, before she did that, she had to know where she was going, what she was getting and how to stop it and those were three questions that, as yet, were unanswered.

She moved her eyes from the intense study of the floor to scan the room.Everyone was busy, Angel's brown head was bowed over a book, intensely studying, trying to find any clue he could to help them.She let her gaze linger on him for a moment and he lifted his head briefly and smiled at her, then dropped it back down to the book.She watched Xander and Anya, listening to Giles, but at the same time, whispering into one another's ears and giggling.Willow and Tara sat next to one another, Tara's small hand interlaced with Willow's.Both listening intently to Giles and interjecting a comment every now and again.Fred was staring up in rapture at Giles, Cordelia sat there with her 'I'm paying so much attention' face on, obviously thinking of other things.Buffy's eyes scanned the rest of the apartment and it was then, that she first noticed that Spike was missing, and more worryingly, Dawn was gone too.She got up quietly and crept away from the group.The door to the courtyard was ajar and she could see two figures at the fountain. She pushed the front door open gently, so as not to disturb anyone and stepped through, just in time to catch the last of the conversation.

Dawn looked up and caught her sister's eye.Buffy motioned for Dawn to go back inside and she switched places with her, sitting down by Spike's side.He turned around at the movement and saw her next to him.

"Slayer." he said, just one simple word.

"Spike."She replied.

"I heard what you said just then, about me being happy."

"And what of it?" he asked, angrily.

"I just wanted to say, thank you, for looking out for me, and I guess, I'm sorry."

"Oh don't pity me, Slayer, beat me up or stake me, but please don't pity me."

"It's not pity Spike, maybe…maybe it's friendship."

They sat there in silence for while.Spike lit up another cigarette and took a drag.He blew the smoke out in a long sigh.

"I was never in the running was I?I could never have replaced him."

"I tried that with Riley, it just doesn't work.We belong together, no matter what anyone else thinks, and no matter what we think.It's just right."

"Yeah, well, you can't fight destiny, can you?"

"It was you who taught me that in the first place, in that magic shop when you'd kidnapped Willow and Xander.You told me that we'd never be friends, that we'd be in love until it killed us both.That love was blood screaming inside of us to work it's will.It's just taken us this long to finally work it out."

"Yeah, well, Peaches never was the fastest worker."Spike said.

Buffy smiled at him."You coming back inside to help with the research?"

"Come on, Slayer.I may have wanted to shag you, but it doesn't mean I wanted to be a fully fledged member of the good guys."

He stood up, dropping the end of his cigarette on the ground and stamping it out with his boot.

"I feel the need to get drunk.I'll see you around."

He turned his back on her and walked out of the courtyard.Buffy watched his retreating figure until it had disappeared, then she picked herself up and walked back into the apartment.

The scene was still the same as when she had left.In fact, she didn't think anyone had noticed she had been missing until Angel silently walked to her side and took her hand in his.

"Still no further on?" she asked.

"It's frustrating, so little information to work with."Giles replied.

"I think I may have a solution to that."Buffy said.

Everyone looked up at her expectantly.

"OK, not that good a solution, but I'm going out on patrol, see if I can get a closer look at this thing, the books are getting us nowhere."

Angel squeezed her hand gently in a show of support.

"Gunn, Wesley, I think you'll be the best to come with us." he said to his two friends.

"Yes, good idea."Giles said."But please be careful, Buffy, you don't know your…"

"Limitations yet, immortality is a curse not a blessing, yes, I know the speech, Giles, wrap me up in cotton wool why don't you." she smiled at her Watcher.

She made her way to the door, followed by Angel, Wesley and Gunn.

"Good luck with the books." she called as they exited.

"Teacher's pet."Xander said from his chair."She always gets to cut the boring classes."

"The rewards for being the Slayer are few and far between."Willow quipped back, as the remaining friends settled back to their books.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Three hours later and the morale at Giles' apartment was at an all time low.Only Fred and Giles were looking at books in any great depth, Fred didn't really understand what they were looking for, just had a great sense of wanting to be useful.Giles was clutching at straws now, reading ancient texts in a variety of lost languages, all of which spoke of great gods and wars, but nothing resembling what they had seen.Finally, after translating a rather gruesome description of how some ancient deity had executed his four wives, he pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I think we might be best giving it up for the night." 

"You mean we can go home?Finally?"Anya asked, overjoyed.

"Yes we can."Xander said, getting up out of the seat.

"And we can have sex?" she asked.

"Yes, we can."Xander said.

"OK guys, too much information, especially for a single girl.And ewww, ex-boyfriend issues here."Cordelia said, staggering up from her position on the floor and helping Fred up next to her.

"Are you sure you don't want anymore help?I can work some more if I have tacos."Fred said to Giles.

"Thank you for the offer, Fred, but you've done more than your fair share."

Willow and Tara began to pick themselves and all their things up as well.

"I'm going to take Fred for some Mexican food, anyone want to come?"Cordelia asked."I have the petty cash, it's on Angel."

"Much as I love the idea of Dead Boy buying me dinner, I just want to go to bed."Xander said.

"Xan, you OK?"Willow asked, feeling his forehead.

"Yeah, why?"

"You turned down food."Tara giggled.

"What he's going to get is much better than food."Anya stated.

"What can I say girls, I'm on a promise." he said with a smile and let the ex-demon lead him out of the door.

"Willow, Tara, food?"Cordelia asked.

"The kitten?"Tara asked Willow.

"We have to go see the kitten."Willow explained."She's been on her own the past few days, we need to spend some quality time as a family."

"Giles?"Cordelia asked.

"No thank you, I'm going to take the opportunity, presented by Dawn spending the weekend at Helen's, to listen to music without anyone making comments about dinosaurs and 'easy-listening'."

"Your loss."Cordy replied and she grabbed Fred's hand and pulled her away from the books and out of the door.

Willow walked towards the door with Tara.As she got to it, she whispered to Tara.

"You walk ahead, I'll catch you up in a second, I just need to try and borrow a book from Giles."

Tara looked a little put out for a second, but then nodded and walked out the door.

Willow turned around and walked back into the apartment, almost bumping into Giles who was coming out of the kitchen, a cup of tea in his hand.

"Willow," jumping and sloshing tea into the saucer."I thought you had all left for the night."

"I just wanted a chance to have a quiet word," the young witch said.

"Of course, take a seat."

Willow sat on the chair offered, by the dining table, Giles in the chair next to her.

"It's about Buffy.I'm worried about her."

"Which bit exactly."Giles asked.

"It's just, do you think she really is all right?"Willow asked, concern etched into her face."I mean, I'm scared something went wrong with the resurrection, something we haven't noticed yet."

"Willow, as far as I can tell, Buffy is fully resurrected, but immortal now, nothing that I know of at the moment can truly kill her, she just has to take care of herself and drink lots of fluids."

"I'm sorry if I've caused any problems."Willow said.

"Well, it appears you weren't thinking independently when you did the spell, these Powers That Be seem to have a hand in it somewhere, don't blame yourself, Buffy doesn't."

"I just hope she takes care of herself."Willow replied.

"Angel will make sure of that, that is one thing we can rely on in this.And she has us to look out for her and help her when we can."

Willow reached out and touched the Watcher's hand with her own.

"Thank you." she whispered.

Giles was momentarily taken aback by the contact, but looked into the young girl's eyes and saw the tears on the brink.He didn't move his hand away, as his reaction normally would have been.

"You've always been there for her, for all of us.And we do appreciate it you know, even Xander.None of our fathers are the greatest to ever roam this place, and you've given us faith again.You mean a lot to us, all of us."She held on a little tighter to his hand.

"You all mean a lot to me too."Giles replied.But then desperate to end this moment that was making him so uncomfortable, he looked around for inspiration for something to say.He looked at Willow's pale arm that was showing slightly from the bottom of her shirt, a glimpse of silver caught his eye.

"That cuff you're wearing, it's very beautiful.Is it new?"

Willow broke her grip on his hand and pulled her arm away slightly.

"Yes, I bought it from a little stall on Sunnydale market, earlier this week.I liked it, it seemed quite Gothic."

Giles took a second brief look at the silver cuff, it was about 2 inches deep, with a blue stone set in the middle and covered in ornate etchings in the metal.

Willow moved to stand up and started to make her way to the door.

"Thanks for the talk, Giles." she said, as she opened the door to the outside.

Giles walked over to stand in the doorway.

"Anytime." he replied and watched the young girl walk away.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow walked away from the apartment towards the stairs.She stumbled a little and had to steady herself on the concrete banister.She reached out her hand to stabilise herself.The bracelet came into view once more, only now, the stone was glowing, a very dull blue.She let herself rest for a moment, catching her, now slightly ragged, breath, reviving herself.Then she stood up straight and walked on to find Tara.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy, Angel, Wesley and Gunn walked through the silent streets of Sunnydale.They had been patrolling the area for a few hours now and had found very little of any note.The only thing they had come across was an attempted robbery on a closed shop on the high street.Two people had been outside the window, attempting to throw a brick through.Buffy recognised them as a young couple who lived on a smaller street off Rovello Drive.She had gone over to try and stop them, but they had run off into the darkness, laughing.She had commented to the others on how out of character that had seemed.The couple had always seemed very polite and, well, law-abiding in the past, they had never had a lot of money and their house had been a little ramshackled, but they had worked for what little they possessed.She had finally put it down to one of the quirks of humanity and they had continued on their patrol.

They made their way past the Restfields Cemetery for the fourth time that night when they decided to call it a night.Angel and Buffy opted to go and report in with Giles, leaving Gunn and Wesley to make their way back to the hotel.They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.Angel took Buffy's hand in his and they walked down the main street, heading back through Sunnydale.Both of them on their guard and cautiously vigilant to the world around them, yet within the shadows, a darker creature moved, following the two warriors as they made their way through the town.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Giles woke up on the sofa, his glasses having fallen off onto his chest.He picked them up and looked at the clock on the mantel, it was 12:30 am; he must have dropped off for an hour.He stood up and brushed himself down.Walking over to the fireplace he looked at his image in the mirror there.

His face looked tired and drawn, with lines running a multitude of paths across his face, his eyes looked small and withered in their sockets.He reached up and ran his hand through his hair.It was hard to tell whether his hair was grey with streaks of brown or brown with streaks of grey these days.He looked at himself again for a moment, taking in the image portrayed in the mirror.

The more he stared into the face in the mirror, the less he recognised as himself.Where had the young boy gone from his earlier years, the student from Oxford?When had this old man taken his place?A dawn of realisation began to pass over the Watcher, beginning as a tiny feeling in the pit of his stomach and extending out across his body.Without thinking any further he walked into his bedroom and took off his sensible docker pants, replacing them with an old worn pair of jeans.The grey shirt that Joyce had bought him one Christmas, was discarded onto the floor and replaced with a white T-shirt that had seen better days.He hunted in the back of his wardrobe and pulled out an old battered leather jacket and pulled it on.

He bounced down the stairs and back into the lounge, stopping once more at the fireplace, he looked into the mirror, taking off his glasses and placing them by the mantel clock.Smiling at the image he saw in the glass, he turned around.Walking to the stereo he pulled the record off the turntable where it had been playing.He held it in the air for a moment and then brought it down on the edge of the coffee table, smashing it into small pieces.

'Bloody classical music, almost as bad as Seals and Croft.' he thought to himself as he walked out of his apartment and into the night.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Willow finally caught up with Tara halfway to the campus.She sidled up behind the blond girl and clasped her hand.

"Did you get the book?" she asked.

"Book?"Willow asked, not understanding for a second.

"Oh, no, he wouldn't let me borrow it, he thinks it might be a little advanced for me."

"Maybe he's right."Tara said.

"Maybe."Willow replied.

"Willow, is everything alright?"Tara asked, scared almost.

Willow stopped in the middle of the street and turned to face her girlfriend.She took her other hand and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Everything is fine.I'm just a little overdone at the moment, you know me, trying to do too much at once." she said, reassuring Tara.

"You should take care of yourself more."Tara said.

"But I have you to do that for me."Willow said, and leaned forward to kiss her briefly. "And you do such a good job." she said, giving a wicked little smile and lead the way towards the dorms.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Spike sat in his favourite place.He was perched on a battered old stool at one end of the bar at Willy's.He stayed out of the way of the other demons, being known as a friend of the Slayer's and a mauler of demons didn't make you many friends in this place.Occasionally, the odd person threw a comment across in his direction, but he just ignored them, couldn't be bothered starting a fight now.

'Says a lot when you don't even want to fight.' he thought to himself.

He threw the last of the whiskey down his throat, the burning sensation producing a violent reaction against the cold temperature of his body.

"Makes you almost feel alive." he said, to no one in particular.

Willy looked up from cleaning a glass at the end of the bar.He'd stood there cleaning that same glass for the majority of the evening.He'd go and serve a customer, then return to that spot and pick up the same glass, keeping his head down.Spike was amazed that the glass hadn't begun to thin around the rim by now.And everytime anyone showed any signs of violence, the rubbing became a little more forceful and faster on the glass.But now, Willy walked across to where Spike was slouched, bringing the glass with him.

"Another?" he asked the vampire before him.Those were the rules of bartending, especially in a place like this, keep your head down, keep out of people's conversation, always keep the drink flowing and most importantly of all, stay alive.

"A double this time, Willie, and none of that cheap crap you keep on serving.Let's have one of the special ones."

"That's the only whiskey I've got, I don't have any others." 

Spike sat there sullenly for a moment, and then lightning quick, reached out a hand and grabbed the bartender by the shirt.

"I said, I'll have one of the…" he began, but then suddenly let go of him and spun around, head in hands.

"Argh, bloody hell!" he cried, the pain splitting through his skull.He kicked the barstool in anger."Stupid pissy chip!" he cried, barely noticing the body step up to the bar beside him.

"Give me a whiskey as well," a voice said,"And I'll pay for that one for our incapacitated friend here.Just make sure they are worth it."

Willy made some shuffling noises under the bar and produced the illusive special bottle and poured two very generous doubles into glasses on the bar.

The man sat down on one of the spare stools and Spike lifted his head up to see who his mystery benefactor was.He was in for quite a shock.

He took in the man next to him for a moment, as they both knocked the harsh liquid down their throats.He swallowed and took a breath in before saying, "Well, bugger me, never thought I'd see you in a place like this."

END OF CHAPTER 9

[Feedback (you should know by now how much I enjoy it!)][1]

[Chapter 10 – coming soon][2]

   [1]: mailto:selwyn29@ntlworld.com
   [2]: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/selwyn29



	10. Breaking Down the Walls - Chapter 10

"And what's that supposed to mean Nutz Normal Nutz 3 140 2001-11-02T10:24:00Z 2001-11-02T10:24:00Z 7 4571 26060 217 52 32003 9.2720 

Breaking down the Walls

TITLE: "Breaking down the walls" Chapter 10 - 10/? - Rated R-13 - B/A Angst, series 6 predictions  
AUTHOR: Charlie/Selwyn29  
EMAIL: selwyn29@ntlworld.com  
DISCLAIMER: They're not mine, they're Joss's, I'm just making them feel better.  PAIRING: B/A, and loads more  
TIMELINE: After end of series 5 Buffy, series 2 Angel  
SPOILERS: Anything is possible... say all, up to B5/A2  
SYNOPSIS: My take on series 6 and what should happen, please read the rest or none of this will make sense.  
FEEDBACK: I live off it J   
RATING:  R-13

DEDICATION:   To, Trammie and Mark my Beta readers who I owe so much thanks to.  Huge, huge, huge, huge thanks go out to Falco (the good twin).  Without her and especially her love of Bowie and Spike I would never have managed to do this chapter.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" the figure beside Spike asked, defensively.

"Exactly what I said, surprisingly.  Never thought I'd see you in a place like this."  Spike replied, finishing it off with.  "Tweed."

Giles looked at him for a second and ordered another two whiskeys, then he turned and grabbed the lapels of Spike's duster, yanking him off the ground.

"Don't call me that.  It's 'Ripper' or nothing!" he said into Spike's face, menacingly.

Spike nodded and Giles let him go to sit back down on the stool.

"As long as you're buying the drinks, I'd call you 'Deborah' if you wanted me to."

"Are you calling me a poof?"  Giles asked, his eyes blazing.

Spike held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Easy Ripper, just having a bit of a joke."

"Well, watch what you're saying."

Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, picked one out, placed it in his mouth and lit it.  He offered the packet over to Giles who was ordering the next round in.  To his brief surprise Giles plucked a cigarette out of the packet, reached across for Spike's zippo and lit it.  He took a long drag and let the smoke sidle out of his mouth.

"God I needed that." he said, relaxing back onto the barstool.

"All that bloody time, I stayed at your place and never once did I find the fags.  Oh, I found the whiskey, but not the fags."

"It's been a long time since I've felt like having one."  Giles replied.

"So what I'm wondering is, why the sudden Jekyll and Hyde?  One minute, mild mannered stuffy librarian, the next this."

"Don't you ever just get sick of where your life is?"

"Yeah, all the bloody time.  You're looking at the vampire who isn't vampy, Scourge of Europe who can't even strike fear into the heart of Xander or anyone.  But do you see me suddenly going out on a binge, drinking and smoking myself to…" Spike looked up as two more shots of whiskey were placed in front of them, he nodded complacently and shot another glass.  Giles followed suit.

"Anyway, I know my history, you were never the Scourge of Europe, that was Angelus."

"You're always so damn picky on the details.  I assisted, I was scary!"  Spike replied, indignant.
    
    "'Scary monsters, super creeps,  
    
      Keep me running, running scared'" Giles started singing softly.
    
    "You're just taking the piss now!  And with a damn good song too."
    
    "I only know the good ones."  Giles replied.
    
    "You never struck me as a Bowie man?"  Spike asked, his eyebrows raised.
    
    "I've got the original 45 version of 'You've Got a Habit of Leaving' by Davy Jones and the Lower Third, back at my place!"
    
    Spike looked at him, his eyes wide.  "You have that album?  That's one of the hardest to get hold of!  Bloody hell, Ripper."
    
    Giles looked smug for a moment, then ordered a full bottle of whiskey from Willie.  He poured another two glasses and shot one back.
    
    "Of course, I saw Bowie in concert in New York in 1978."
    
    Giles almost choked on his whiskey.
    
    "You saw the World Tour?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.
    
    "7th May 1978, Madison Square Gardens, if I remember rightly.  Unbelievable.  Sang Space Oddity as an acoustic."  Spike necked his shot as Giles took the information in. "Had to drain two huge security blokes to get in, mind you, gave me indigestion for the next two days, but I'd say it was worth it."
    
    Giles looked shocked for a second, but then recovered a little and reached across to take two cigarettes out of the packet, he put them both in his mouth and lit them with the Zippo.  He handed one to Spike and poured two more whiskeys.  Taking a drag on the lit cigarette, he exhaled deeply and lifted his glass.
    
    "To Bowie, the greatest musician of all time."
    
    Spike picked up his glass and raised it.
    
    "To Bowie." he replied, they chinked the glasses together and then both poured the liquid down their throats at the same time.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
    
    Buffy and Angel strolled slowly through the darkness, hands clasped gently.  It was like they had been transported back three years previously, when they used to spend their nights patrolling the town and just spending time together.
    
    Buffy giggled and Angel turned to look at her.
    
    "What?" he asked.
    
    "Déjà vu," And saw the confused expression on his face.  "Any second now I'm expecting you to suggest we go make out in the graveyard like we used to."
    
    "I don't think I ever suggested that."
    
    "Don't get all noble on me, I was just paraphrasing, I'm sure you put it more eloquently and persuasively." Batting her eyelashes at him.
    
    Angel looked at her for a moment, all his puffed up resolve crumbling at her smiling eyes shining in front of him.
    
    "Well, you know, we could, if you wanted to." he said, almost shyly.
    
    Buffy turned to face him, and reached up and attacked his lips passionately.
    
    "Why sir, I do believe you are propositioning me." she drawled, in her best fake southern belle accent and wriggled her body against him.
    
    Angel growled in response.
    
    "We don't have to sneak around in graveyards anymore." she told him.  "We live together.  Share our lives, the same house, the same bed."  
    
    "I know." 
    
    "And I know that you know.  But I just like saying it, our house, our bed."  She kissed him again.
    
    "Speaking of bed, we'd better get to Giles' or we will never make it home before dawn." she continued and took him by the hand once more and they made their way to the apartment.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The first thing they saw when they reached the courtyard of the apartment block was Giles' front door slightly ajar.  Both their defences came up immediately as they quietly walked towards the door.  Taking a deep breath Angel pushed the door open a little more.  Noting there was no one remotely near the entrance, they slowly make their way into the room.  They were faced with utter devastation, two of the dining chairs had been knocked over, books were on the floor and there was shattered glass near the breakfast bar.  Buffy bent down and touched a small red spot on the floor, she looked up and caught Angel's eyes, the liquid on her finger gleaming in the moonlight.  Over in the lounge area things were much the same, books and papers were strewn everywhere, cabinets and drawers were open and their contents spilt out.  

"Giles?"  Buffy asked quietly and then again, a little more loudly and with a little more panic in her voice.

"Someone's taken him, Angel, someone's broken in and taken him." Her voice trembling with emotion.

Angel began to pick his way over to the passageway leading between the lounge and the back of the apartment.  He only got a little way down when he banged into a familiar figure.

"Spike!" he growled, pushing the younger vampire up against the wall.

"Where is he, what did you do?  What happened?"

"What am I supposed to have done now?"  Spike asked, his voice slurring slightly.

"Who took him?  Who broke in?"

"Shit, we've been robbed?"  Spike said.

Angel took the pressure off the vampire's chest slightly as he began to realise that Spike didn't know what was going on.

Spike took the opportunity that presented itself, when his sire let go of him, and began to make his way into the main body of the room, staggering slightly, he looked around wildly at the site of destruction. 

At that moment, Giles appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking a little dishevelled with a record in his hand.

"Found it, finally." he began.

"Giles!"  Buffy exclaimed.  "You're alright!  You're not hurt, or unconscious or anything."

"Ooo… Sherlock Holmes."  Spike retaliated in a singsong voice.

"That's what I taught my Slayer, great powers of observation."  Giles said to Spike.

Spike began to giggle quietly.

"What's going on?" she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.  

"We're just having a drink.  It is allowed."  Giles answered.

"But the door open, the chairs knocked over, the glass and the blood!" she exclaimed.

"So we knocked a few chairs over, and Spike spilt the whiskey bottle.  We are adults."

"Bugger off, Ripper, you knocked over the whiskey!"  Spike yelled.  "And cut my soddin' finger in the process."

"These vampires, they bleed so easily."  Giles said.

"So everyone is alright?"  Angel asked, a calm voice amongst the fray.

"Yes, yes, we're fine."

"We're bloody brilliant."  Spike slurred.  "We're starting a band, aren't we, Ripper?"

Giles walked, rather staggered, across the room towards Spike and clasped his arm around his shoulder.

"We're gonna be the next best thing." he shouted, bouncing up and down, jolting the vampire along with him.  "Now did you come round for a reason, or just a social visit?"

"I came to tell you what we had found while we were out on patrol."  Buffy said through gritted teeth.

"And?"  Giles asked, his voice mocking.

"Well," she began hesitantly.  "We didn't find anything."

Giles just began to giggle, sending Spike into fits alongside him.  They both collapsed down on the sofa laughing together.

"I thought you might want to do some research?"  Buffy asked.

"Stuff the books, there's no use reading about things, you have to live to really experience things."  Giles remarked.

"And if we don't find out what this is, we might not live!"  Buffy countered.

"Well you're the Slayer, go slay it, or something."  Spike replied.  

"Good call!"  Giles shouted and grabbed a bottle of vodka from where he had found it hidden in the drinks cabinet.

Buffy looked over and saw Angel quietly seething next to the two drunken Englishmen.

She walked over to him and took his hand.

"We're going to go," she said, aiming the sentence towards Giles.  "Call me when you've come down off the band candy high."  

She tugged Angel's hand gently and led him out of the apartment.

"Bloody kids these days, they just don't know how to have a good time.  It's always the end of the world with them.   Anyone would think they were responsible for averting the apocalypse."  Giles said in all seriousness.

Spike looked over to him, caught his eye, and they both dissolved into giggles once more.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy stormed across the courtyard and down the steps to the road, Angel had to walk fast alongside her to keep up.

"Buffy, slow down."  Reaching out to grab her arm.

She whirled around to face him.

"Slow down?  I can't slow down, I have a demon to track and no one is helping me!" she yelled at him.

Angel just stared at her quietly for a second, his hand reaching up to brush her hair away from her eyes.  Her breathing began to steady and her face began to lose its angry flush.

"I'm sorry," she said.  "Giles just got to me."

"I think, we would be best going to find Wesley and the rest and seeing what they can do to help us at the moment."

"Oh great, so now we're going to replace one defective Watcher with another?"

"Wesley has changed, Buffy.  He's not the person that you knew."  Angel said, quite sternly.

"OK I know, again with the sorrys.  It's just after everything that's happened recently, I really didn't need Giles going all Ripper on me.  He's my next 'hold Buffy together at the seams guy' after you."

Angel leant over and kissed her forehead.

"It'll be alright, Wesley may be able to help us.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The vase came screaming past her head and shattered into pieces against the wall behind her.  She bent down to pick up the broken parts as a glass came firing after it, and then a plate and a cup.  She gave a heartfelt sigh and pulled herself upright.

"Are you aiming to trash the entire place, or just part of it?" she said, weariness in her voice.

She began to stand up and walk into the other room, when a statue passed her and smashed on the ground where she had just stood.  Setting a look of concentration on her face, she walked into the middle of the other room.

Another girl stood at the far end of the room, next to a long table which was scattered with various, very breakable objects.  She had cropped blonde hair and was quite skinny, her eyes were deep, dark puddles and they began to give out a little glow as the next object was picked up.  With a look of contempt on her face the young girl held the bottle in the air with her gaze and with a small flick of her head she threw it towards the centre of the room and towards the dark haired girl standing there.

The dark haired girl stood stock still, the bottle came flying towards her, accurately aimed at her head.  She took a deep breath in and then concentrated.  The object slowed to a halt between the two girls, spinning on it's own on nothingness.

"Amy, give it a rest.  I know you're a powerful witch, quit with the proving and the tantrums."

The blonde haired girl didn't lose her concentration for a second.

"I have to do something, sitting and waiting around is driving me mad."

"Thought you'd be used to that."  The dark haired girl countered.

"I had envisaged that you'd managed to put me back in human form for better things than hanging around a dank, dark warehouse."

"Well I could always try and find you one of those wheel things that you seemed to like so much when you were a rat.  That might keep you occupied."

Amy lost her concentration for a second and the bottle dropped to the floor, shattering on impact.

"Great, that's our last bottle of sacred sand."

"Oh chill out, Ramon, it's not as if one of us doesn't help out in a magic shop."  Amy snapped back.  "Speaking of our third member.  Where is Willow?"

"She went off last night to do some more collecting, I haven't seen her since then."

"She should be here, we don't have much time left and the Slayer is beginning to get on my nerves, it won't be long before they find us here."

"She'll come along later."

"Pity it didn't work out with that boyfriend of yours."  Amy said slightingly.  "Pity he was too weak to take the strain."

Ramon turned on her, her eyes flaring.  "Leave Raven out of it, we have Willow now and she's stronger than both of us, and you know it.  She'll be along when she is ready, she has already had one success with the Watcher."

"Yes, but now we need to take out the Slayer and her mate.  Then when Willow gets here, we can start collecting more to finish the sacrifice."

Both girls looked over, momentarily, to a large clear urn, standing on an altar to one side of the warehouse.  A mist was swirling around inside of it, like a small storm.

"We aren't strong enough to take down the Slayer, especially not without Willow."  Raven pointed out.

"Yes, but I have a plan.  I remember overhearing things when I was in that cage in Willow's bedroom, things about the two of them.  We could send the creature out again, after them."

"But we haven't had full control of the soul catcher since we summoned it at the water tower, when we cast the resurrection spell, and there were five of us then."

"Yes, but you were the only one who knew what you were really summoning, the others had no idea, so it couldn't be controlled.  Now, with me here, it should be fine."

"You wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for me, smuggling you out of Willow's house when I did."

"Alright, with the two of us casting, it should be easy to keep it under our command."  Amy replied.  Then she walked over to a pentagram, which was painted on the floor, and sat down, extending her hand out to Ramon, who sat opposite her.  The two girls raised their right hands and joined them, lifting them into the centre of the circle.  By extending their arms, each one revealed an identical cuff to the one Willow had been wearing.

They both began chanting in quiet voices, whispering words to one another.  They clasped their hands tightly together and the blue stones in the centre of the cuffs began to glow.  Their voices raised into a crescendo and their heads tilted back so that their faces were lifted to the ceiling.  They began to shout words out into the cavernous roof space as a wind came from nowhere and ripped through the building, scattering the broken shards from earlier.  As the girls called out their final words their hands split apart and came to rest on their knees.  Both sets of eyes were a deep black colour and they were staring into the previously empty space in the centre of the pentagram, where now, hovered a dark shadowy object.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy and Angel walked to Cordelia's motel room to find a note pinned to the door.

_"It's late, it's night, so we're most likely to be at the Magic Box, researching."_

They turned on their heel and walked over to the shop.  The bell jingled as they came through the door, to find a multitude of faces looking at them.

"Insomniacs anonymous?"  Buffy asked her friends before her.

"More like bribery.  Cordelia told us if we helped, she'd buy us all takeout later."  Anya said from where she sat at the table, idly flicking through the pages of a book.  Cordelia kicked her chair from where she was standing behind her.

"Fred?"  Angel asked, for a moment concerned that Cordelia had left her at the motel on her own.

Cordelia pointed at the table, mouthing 'underneath'.

Angel crouched down and peered under the table to find Fred, cross-legged, surrounded by books, muttering quietly to herself.  

"Are you alright?"  Angel asked, startling Fred, so she hit her head on the underside of the table.

"Ow!" she cried, rubbing her head.  "My head hurts, but I had tacos, which was nice, and then we all came here to meet Wesley and Gunn and to try and find the demon in all these books."

"Good."  Angel said, and stood back up again, standing beside Buffy.

Wesley suddenly appeared from the gallery above them, with a few more books in his hands.

"Goodie, more books, like we need some more of those."  Cordelia started.

Wesley looked at her for a second and then gave his attention to Angel and Buffy.

"Has Giles found anything?" he asked.

"His lost delinquency."  Buffy replied deadpan.  "Oh, and a whiskey bottle, and some really bad records."

"I don't understand."  Wesley replied.

"Giles has changed a little."  Angel tried to explain.

"Changed?"  Xander asked.

"He's gone all Ripper on us again.  We left him trying to start a band with Spike."  Buffy cut in.

"I have to ask…Ripper?"  Gunn said.  "As in, Jack the?"

"No, not like that, Giles used to be a bit of a teenage rebel, dabbling in black magic, drinking, loud music, all that kind of thing, and he used to be called Ripper."

"So who's enchanted the candy this time?"  Xander asked.  "And why didn't I get any?"

"Candy?"  Wesley asked, looking bewildered.

"Last time Giles went like this, it was because someone had cursed some band candy, to regress all the adults to children, for some big demon sacrifice thing.  But I haven't seen any candy."

"Maybe it's something else he ate?"  Anya proposed.

"Who was the last one there last night?"  Angel asked.

"He was with Willow when we left him, and he was all Giles, you know, all British and stuffy."  Cordelia said.

"Where's Willow?" Buffy asked.

"Her and Tara are AWOL."  Xander replied.  

"Could be something to do with the vision, you never knew, I do get them for a reason, rather than just entertainment."  Cordelia pointed out.

"The creature we are looking for could be responsible for Giles' behaviour, you mean?"

"Stranger things have happened.  And when it went through Angel and Spike, they turned into kids again."

"I did not."  Angel protested.

"You fought in the playground like children."  Cordelia said.

"Is Giles in any immediate danger?" Wesley asked.

"From alcohol poisoning, yes.   But, if you're asking if I think he'll do anything stupid, I doubt he'll be capable of it."  Buffy replied.

"Let me guess, we're going to do some research?"  Xander asked.  "'Cause I haven't seen enough bad pencil drawings of demons in my short life."

A resounding thud echoed around the shop, as a dozen books on demonology were opened once more.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Even Wesley had begun to drop off on top of the book he was reading, just over an hour later.  Buffy watched from where she was slumped across the Magic Shop, as his head gradually began to drop slowly towards the pages, closer, a little bit closer and then, suddenly, he would snap up and look quickly around, and then look back at the book again.  She lifted the book off her knee and stood up.  For a moment her legs gave way underneath her and she slid towards the floor again, to be caught by Angel.  She leant back against him, letting him support her.

"Buffy?" he asked.

"I'm fine, I guess I just got up a little quickly.  I feel a little light-headed that's all."

"Did you drink anything recently?"

"Who are you, my mother?" she joked, turning around to look at him, but then, seeing the concern in his face, she changed her tone.

"No, not in a while, I guess what Giles told me about needing water was true."

He reached his hand up and touched her cheek gently.

"I think we all need to call it a night," he said.  

"That's the best idea you've had all night.  In fact, the only one, I think!"  She tried to smile at him, to stop him worrying, but she knew it wouldn't help.

"You wake them all up and send them home, I'm going to go and get a glass of water."

She walked out into the kitchen in the back, feeling his eyes burning into her as she left.

Angel managed to rouse the rest of the gang and they all started to pack up the books and straighten the shop back up once more.  Buffy walked slowly back into the room, sipping a glass of water.  Angel went over to her and walked her across the room.

"Buff?  Are you OK?"  Xander asked, concerned.

"Yes!  I'm fine, just a little dehydrated.  Anyone would think I'd been brought back from the dead or something." she said, trying to lighten the mood, but looked up to see a multitude of concerned faces looking at her, including Gunn and Fred who she hardly knew.

"OK, so the death jokes don't go down well, but I'm fine, nothing a little rest and some more water wouldn't help."

Everyone seemed to relax a little then.

"So we start again tomorrow?"  Cordelia asked.

"I think we should."  Wesley agreed.  "We have to get to the bottom of this."

"We'll go check in on Giles when we get up, with any luck, he'll have gotten over his 'embracing the inner child' and just have a vicious hangover."  Buffy said.

"He may be able to tell us more about what happened."  Angel completed.

"Someone needs to tell us, cause the, supposed, best demon hunters in the area can't."  Cordelia said.  "Don't worry, I'm picking on all of us, that's the new me, wide ranging and self mocking insults."

They all said their goodbyes and made their way out of the door, Anya locking it carefully behind her.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Amy and Ramon stared at the shadow creature in the centre of the pentagram.  Magical energy was charging off the two of them, crackling in the air around them.  Both girls closed their eyes for a second, and then opened them once more.  

The shadow creature began to move outside of the pentagram and leapt through the air towards the open warehouse door.  It jumped through the doorway and out onto the roofs of Sunnydale, into the night.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Buffy and Angel watched the group move off into the night, mainly to make sure that nothing followed them.  They stood in the shadows of the shop front, just listening as their friends moved further away.

Anya's voice could be heard piercing the air.

"Do we get to go and have sex now?  'Cause you know, looking at musty old books doesn't get me in the mood."  Xander could be heard quietly trying to pacify her.

Buffy giggled in the darkness at her friends.  Angel took her hand and they set off down the street.  

"You know, sometimes I look around us and think that our destinies have made us the most unluckiest people in the world."  Buffy began.  "But on nights like this, I realise that we may be two of the luckiest."

Angel looked at her, confused for a moment.

"Look at the group of people who surround us; two witches, who are also lesbians, one previous head cheerleader who is now destined to be the hotline to the gods, and an ex-vengeance demon, two 'stiff upper lip' Englishmen, one vampire who's been chipped, one form of pure energy who's now a hormonal teenager, a construction worker who has been a hyena, a homeless street kid and a broken scientist.  The most dysfunctional group you could imagine, yet I think we are the most functional unit I have ever known."

"It's a family."  Angel said.

"The best we could ask for under the circumstances."  Buffy answered, squeezing his hand.  

"I'm amazed at the way they have gelled together over this.  I think I even saw Fred and Tara have a conversation the other day!  And Xander has been comparing battles with Gunn."

"I just wish we could find whatever it is that is causing all the trouble."

Buffy nodded in the darkness, understanding his frustration.  It was like they were trying to fight something that wasn't there.

They headed out towards the cemetery in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.  As they reached the gates they stopped for a moment, and Angel bent his lips down and caught Buffy's in a gentle kiss.  She found herself lost in the moment, enjoying the sensation of his mouth against hers.  However, their destinies were not to let them enjoy this moment for long. 

Suddenly Buffy felt a tingle run down her spine.  She opened her eyes and looked over Angel's shoulder to see the shadowy creature they had been tracking, leaping off the top of mausoleums, across the cemetery.  She broke away from Angel and headed off through the gates.

Angel immediately saw the creature jumping through the night and followed close behind her.  

They chased across the cemetery, following the creature's every move on it's erratic path through the gravestones.  They ran up the side of the hill in front of them and came to an abrupt halt, as they found themselves inside the courtyard of the mansion.

"Did you see it go inside?"  Angel asked.

"I think I did, it definitely didn't go anywhere else."

They both stood there for a moment, gathering themselves.  Then they cautiously moved towards the French windows and into their home.

Buffy stood at the entrance uneasily.  Fighting demons was her calling, and something she knew she was good at, but this one had invaded her home, her sanctuary.  The one place she had felt safe since she had returned.

"Let's go kill it," she said, and felt Angel's hand rest on her shoulder, giving her the strength she needed.

They began to walk through the lounge, checking out each and every shadow, poised, waiting to make their move should any of them, well, move.

They tracked through the house, walking up the darkened staircase that was never used.  In fact, Buffy didn't even think she had ever been to the second storey of the house.  They walked into room after room, each one as dusty and empty as the last.  The last room they entered was a large room with a draped window.  The drapes had been thrown open, framing a spectacular view across the cemetery and beyond.

"Wow."  Buffy whispered into the darkness.  "This room is amazing.  We could make a fabulous den up here."

"Spike and Drusilla used to stay in here sometimes."  Angel said, crushing a stray doll's head underneath his foot.

"Eww, Spike had sex in here?  Remind me to get Willow to do a cleansing spell."  Buffy remarked. 

Angel looked across at her for a moment, and she let her mind go back to the job in hand.  They moved back out of the room and into the hallway.  Slowly they made their way back down the stairs and through the passageway into the main body of the house.  

A shadow crossed their bedroom floor and they both ran full pelt into the room.  They stood, stock still in the centre for a moment, adjusting to the darkness.  The shadow moved again, and they both relaxed a little.

"Just a tree."  Angel whispered.

Both walked out of the room and into the lounge again.  They stood in the centre of the room and looked into every corner.

"Maybe it just drifted through and went out the other side?"  Buffy asked.

"Possibly, but wherever it went, it doesn't seem to be here now."  Angel replied.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Ramon and Amy were still in the same positions in the pentagram.  Beads of sweat were clinging to each girl's forehead.  They raised their hands from their knees and joined them once more in the air.  Each girl opened her eyes to stare at the other.

"Now!"  They both shouted in unison.  A powerful force of energy rushing through them, knocking both girls flat to the floor.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Nothing had moved in the mansion for a couple of minutes now.  Buffy began to make her way across the room towards Angel, intending to lead him into the bedroom, her thoughts directed entirely on the soft bed and his arms.

She had only moved a couple of steps towards him when she felt a rush of cold air around her.  She looked behind Angel and saw the creature flying towards him.  Before she could shout a warning or reach him, the creature has rushed through him at full force and pitched him to the ground.  She began to run towards him, to help him, when the creature connected with her also.  All the breath was knocked out of her body, as the ground came up to meet her at an alarming rate.  She hit the concrete floor hard, resting her head on the cement.  She tried to look over to Angel, but could just see his body crumpled on the floor.  Then the world went black around her.
    
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

He awoke moments later, disorientated.  His eyes opened and he looked around him.  The place seemed familiar, somehow, but he wasn't sure why.  He forced his lids open a little more, to take in the scene.  He pushed his hands against the ground and raised himself to his feet, stretched his body and then stood up.  He stumbled a little, and his head hurt.  He couldn't remember anything from moments before.  Then a familiar sight caught his eye.  The blonde body crumpled to the floor.  He immediately began to walk towards her, his mind processing just one thought.

'There's the Slayer, and this time, I'm going to kill her.'

END OF CHAPTER 10

Feedback – or maybe I won't write anymore…….

Chapter 11 – coming soon


End file.
